Midnight January 25th 1945 – […]  Company B was stretched across a butt-end of a large `U’ whose sides were formed by two great fingers of trees that led toward Holtzwihr, Murphy recalled. The heavily fortified village was now in plain view over the rolling, snow-covered fields. The two tank destroyers sat astraddle a narrow dirt road that ran deep into the woods. Murphy knew German armor would have to advance along the roadway. Early in the afternoon, he phoned back to 1st Battalion headquarters for last-minute instructions. He was informed that the 2nd Battalion, 30th Regiment, had not yet arrived to reinforce his company. Hold your position were his orders.

At 1400 hours on January 26, 1945, German armor and infantry moved out from Holtzwihr, preceded by an artillery barrage. From my forward shallow emplacement I saw the counterattack forming with six tanks and about 250 foot soldiers garbed in white suits, Murphy recalled, so it would’ve been impossible to spot them sooner or any farther away than a mile. I alerted the men and ran for the field phone and called the artillery officer at battalion headquarters and arranged for 2nd Battalion to fire. I no sooner gave the order to fire than all hell broke loose. The Germans had started their preliminary barrage. Private First Class Donald Eckman remembered: You could see the pennants on the antenna of the German tanks….That got our attention right away….We also saw a huge sea of white infantry coming toward us. (more…)

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, left, comforts her son, Nalin, 10, and her daughter, Rena, 14, as her husband, Capt. Michael Haley, right, gets ready for a deployment ceremony for the South Carolina Army National Guard 3/49 Agribusiness Development Team at McCrady Training Center, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, at Ft. Jackson, S.C. The deployment is scheduled for a year including one month of training in Indiana prior to leaving for Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

According to a report from Gatway Pundit – The Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR], whose motto is “God, home and country”, removed all references to God and Christianity from all of its official books. Chaplains were told to stop using the name of Jesus. The DAR even removed “America the Beautiful” from its official documents because it mentions God.

This is my flag.  We call her “Old Glory”.  She is the flag of the United States of America. 

This is my flag.   These are my colors.  I will not honor any other flag, nor recognize the need for any other.

This is my flag.  I will stand beside all those patriots who will defend her.

I will never surrender this flag, nor my country.   Never!…..  Sundance.

(Via American Spectator)  The Boehner Tax increase he called it.  After weeks of taking on Republican House Speaker John Boehner over Boehner’s insistence on trying to make a deal over taxes with President Obama, by the night of December 20 — as House Republicans were being pounded by the GOP leadership to vote that very night for Boehener’s “Plan B” — the backlash dam finally broke on Mark Levin’s radio show.

[…]  It’s worth going back to the evening of December 20 to note something that was overlooked as the Christmas holiday overtook the news on the defeat — by House Republicans — of Boehner’s Plan B.

As Levin’s show went live at 6pm Eastern, he opened with a sharp, passionate look at Republicans on the verge of rejecting longtime conservative principle — not to mention basic economics — by raising taxes. (more…)

(BigFurHat @iOTW writes) I read a story a couple of days ago about a young man in Australia that was relegated to the back row for a class picture. The kid’s name was Luke Smith. He’s 11.  I’ve been in the back row, we all have.   But we can stand.

Look at this picture:

I have no idea what this school was thinking. This is idiotic and the Smith family was saddened and outraged. So am I.

BFH steps in to save the day – CLICK HERE

(h/t Michelle Hart)…The night before the burial of her husband 2nd Lt. James Cathey of the United States Marine Corps, killed in Iraq, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time.  The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of “Cat”, and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept.  “I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it”, she said. “I think that’s what he would have wanted.” (From a public Facebook page)

For the rest of the her story in photographs, please follow below the fold.   They are a visual remembrance of the true cost of freedom.   Might not be a bad idea to keep a Kleenex or two handy as well….keyboard can get real dusty.   (more…)

You may not be a native Texan, but after watching this beautiful photo-essay by west Texas’ official state photographer Wyman Meinzer, you’ll wish you were.  I suggest you turn up the volume, click on the “full screen” icon on the lower right, and keep a box of Kleenex handy.  If ya’ll aren’t dancin’ in your seats…..well, ya’ll haven’t got a pulse!
This is dedicated to all my Texas buddies….you know who you are.