THE WAR IS OVER: Official message.

Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn

They [Soldiers] will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high. One of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the American military will come to an end. Iraq's future will be in the hands of its people. America's war in Iraq will be over.

President Obama, 14 December 2011

The magnitude of what this Nation and our Soldiers have accomplished in Iraq is unprecedented. We have never been more proud of our Army – our Soldiers, Civilians and our Families. You freed over twenty-five million people from tyranny and given hope when hope was forsaken. Our Army provided new opportunity for the people of Iraq. No other Army in the world could have accomplished what you have done - Only American Soldiers.

Throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, our Soldiers embodied physical and mental toughness and courage under fire. Over the past eight years, the quality of our Soldiers has stood in stark contrast to the desert sands. Just as the WWII generation defeated tyranny across the globe, a new generation - galvanized by the attacks of September 11th - bravely defeated tyranny once again. Even during the darkest days in Iraq, our Soldiers never wavered in the face of growing doubt. They continued to risk life and limb for a cause larger than themselves. For their heroic action, they received nearly 9,000 awards for valor including two Medals of Honor, 16 Distinguished Services Crosses, and 408 Silver Stars.

We remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, our Wounded Warriors, our Gold Star Families, and all of our loved ones who have been touched by the horror of war. Their sacrifices have given meaning to our values and ideals. For that, we thank them. A grateful Nation will always remember, respect, and appreciate these heroes as the Next Greatest Generation.

We are extremely proud of all of our Soldiers, Civilians, and Families. Our Army has once again proved that it is America's Force of Decisive Action. Thank you for a job well done. Army Strong!

//Original Signed//

Raymond F. Chandler III

Sergeant Major of the Army

//Original Signed//

Raymond T. Odierno

General, United States Army Chief of Staff

//Original Signed//

John M. McHugh

Secretary of the Army

Booth Saved Lincoln's Life

Close relatives of the Booth and Lincoln most people associate with the names had their very own twist of fate. And on one occasion Booth saved Lincoln's life.

One night at a railway station in Jersey City, NJ. Edwin Booth saved the life of a young man who had been pushed into the small space between the train and it's loading platform. As the man fell the train also began to move...twisting him into a position that he could not recover from.

Realizing the man's peril and without regard for his own safety, Edwin quickly snatched the collar of the man's jacket and yanked him from death's grip back onto the platform. The man turned to face his rescuer and to his astonishment he saw that it was none other than the famous actor Edwin Booth.

Edwin came from a family of actors, including his younger brother John Wilkes who later assassinated President Lincoln. Ironically the young man Edwin saved at the train station that night was none other than President Lincoln's son Robert Todd Lincoln.

Edwin is reported to have said that saving Robert was the only thing that comforted him after learning that his brother murdered the President. The event devastated Edwin to the end of his days.

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Edwin had a friend travelling along with him the night he saved Robert Lincoln. Ironically it was John T. Ford, the owner of the theater where John Wilkes committed treason.

Although Edwin Booth had been born in the South he was a Lincoln sympathizer. It was a fact that tore the relationship between him and his younger brother. After Edwin saved Robert Lincoln's life he had befriended the Lincoln's...a fact which only made the assassination all that much harder to bare.

Another interesting fact was that one of John's conspirators fled the US after the assassination and joined the Swiss guard whose duty it was to protect the Vatican in Rome (of all places). He was later found out and shipped back to the United States. He was charged with treason.

Cut Military Entitlements?

You greedy GOP bastards! How about cutting your own UNEARNED retirement before you cut the entitlements of people who quite literally put their lives on the line for YOU every day for 20 years!

Bess and Sir Walter's Head

"Would you like to speak with Walter?" - Raleigh's wife to visitor's postmortem.

It is famously known that Sir Walter Raleigh was a court favorite of HM Queen Elizabeth I. It was a shock for Elizabeth when she learned that Raleigh had secretly married one of her own ladies in waiting "Bess" Throckmorton. He was jailed by the jealous queen, the first of many trials the marriage endured.

After Elizabeth died, Raleigh was tried for treason. Not for marrying a lady in waiting, but because he was implicated in a plot to overthrow the new King James I. He was sentenced to death and taken to the ominous Tower of London where he wrote, "The History of the World". He was eventually released in 1616.

After Raleigh's release he set sail for South America in search of the lost city of gold, El Dorado. His son, Walter Jr.,  was killed during their attack on the Spanish settlement San Thome. Walter senior had also been captured. The Spanish Ambassador appealed to an already disgruntled King James I of England to reinstate Raleigh's death sentence. It was approved and Raleigh's head rolled.

Through it all, however, Bess and Raleigh remained steadfast in their devotion to one another. Even in death Raleigh was with Bess. In a red leather bag Bess kept his embalmed head. She frequently asked guest's if they, "would like to speak with Walter?" (I think in any century that would have been a little odd.)

It was only when Bess died decades later that she finally parted with Walter's head. This is where the story is unclear. One account says that the head was then reunited with the rest of its body in Raleigh's tomb. But another states that after Bess's death  it then passed to Carew, their only living son. Carew in turn kept the head until his own death in January 1668 and it was placed inside the casket with him. This would have been fifty years after the beheading.

Either way...that's one strange, but loyal family!

Why Are Mad Hatters Mad?

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" - The Mad Hatter

Lewis Carroll introduced us to the quirky "Mad Hatter" in his 1864 novel, "Alice's Adventure in Wonderland." The Hatter, the Dormouse, and the March Hare are perpetually having tea because they are stuck in time precisely at 6:00 pm.

They move around the table using new cups and saucer's because they don't have time to wash the ones they were using. They do "curiouser and curiouser" things like asking riddles and putting various un-complimentary items in their tea like butter and the Hatter's pocket watch.

After dozens of letters asking Mr. Carroll for the answer to the Hatter's most famous riddle, "why is a raven like a writing desk?," he later admitted that there was no pre-thought-out answer to it. His best answer was, "because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front!"

Want to know the answer to my riddle, "why are Mad Hatter's mad?" It's because they are slowly poisoned by the fumes of mercury that are let off during certain stages of the hat making process.

FACT: Mercury poisoning was a hazard of hat making in the 1800's. The process has evolved since then and is not as dangerous an occupation as it once was.

Using true historical facts in a story only makes it that much more fascinating to me.

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In 2010's movie version the Hatter's hatband held a note which read, "In this style 10/6." It meant the price of the hat was 10 shillings, 6 pence in old British currency.

The Royal Sacred One: Princess Ka'iulani

"I, a poor, weak girl, with not one of my people near me and all of these statesmen against me, have the strength to stand up for the rights of my people. Even now I can hear their wail in my heart, and it gives me strength.” -  Princess Victoria Ka'uilani.

Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kawēkiu i Lunalilo Cleghorn was born on 6 October 1875 to Scottish Statesman Archibald Scott Cleghorn and Hawaiian Princess Miriam Kapili Kekauluohi Likelike in Honolulu, Hawaii. Victoria was the only child born of the Kalakaua dynasty and was second in line for the Hawaiian throne (after her mother's death) following her Aunt Liliuokalani.

Growing up she led a fairy tale life and enjoyed the privileges that came with being royalty. On her estate, called Ainahau, she adored the free roaming peacocks and loved riding her little white pony, Fairy. She rode Fairy all over the island visiting family and friends, including Robert Louis Stevenson.

When she was thirteen her father Archibald and Uncle King David Kalakaua decided she should sail to Britain to attend a private school and experience different cultures via traveling Europe. She initially refused to go because her heart was in Hawaii and it was where her mother had died. But she had no choice. She spent the next eight years overseas. Speculators insist that her lengthy stay abroad was intended to keep her safe from the ever present rebel threat on the island.

While Ka'iuloni was away the Hawaiian monarchy suffered great turmoil. Weakened by several revolts and the death of King Kalakaua, the monarchy was barely holding on. The final blow came on 17 January 1893 with the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani, King Kalakaua's sister.

At that time the Hawaiian Islands for both their profitable exporting industry and their strategic military position in the Pacific. The United States simply could not let Hawaii fall into control of a rival super power. It was for these reasons that the United States sponsored the final rebellion.

When Ka'iuloni heard of the takeover she grieved for her country and vowed not to stand idly by. She would appeal to President Grover Cleveland and the people of the United States directly.

Though she had always been shy, her royal lineage and dual heritage brought attention to her wherever she went. Her beauty, grace, and intelligence won her many admirers and she would now use them to her full advantage. Even her name, Ka'iuloni means "royal sacred one." Everyone loved her.

Before her arrival in America it was assumed that she was a dark skinned, barefoot barbarian woman who knew little of literacy and even less about hygiene. Ka'iuloni proved them wrong.

The newspapers compared her to an angel from heaven...noting not just her aesthetic appearance and intellect, but also the sincerity and conviction in which she spoke about her cause. She touched the peoples hearts. But her real goal was to use the press as a means of scoring an invitation to the Whitehouse.

It did not take long for President Cleveland to grant the Princess's wish. He and Mrs. Cleveland made Ka'iulani feel welcome by inviting her to breakfast. They enjoyed polite conversation as was custom for the time period. While there, Ka'iulani advocated for her nation's plight and gained the President as a strong ally in the process. He vowed to bring her case before Congress.

President Cleveland sent Former Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, James Blount, to Hawaii to investigate its government takeover. After several months Blount agreed the takeover had been conducted under false pretenses, thus making it illegal.

Upon hearing the evidence President Cleveland ordered the usurping government to relinquish control of the islands and reinstate Lili'uokalani's authority of the Queen. They refused. Unwilling to use military force, Cleveland appealed to Congress. His influence did little to sway its members.

In 1898, under the term of President McKinley, who was in favor of the annexation of Hawaii, the U.S. signed the Newlands Resolution making Hawaii a US territory. Ex-President Cleveland felt America shamed itself. 

By this time Ka'iulani realized her dream of restoring the monarchy was futile. She had returned to Hawaii where she lived with the remaining members of the royal family. She and Queen Lili'uokalani's new cause was fighting for the voting rights of their people.

Sadly, in January 1899, Princess Ka'iulani was caught in a rainstorm and fell ill. Instead of getting better her cold became worse due to her compromised immune system; she had not yet fully recovered from a previous illness. She died of pneumonia two months later. She was 23 years old.

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Hawaii remained a territory for 60 years until March 1959 when Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act officially making Hawaii a state.

Cooper Skyjacking Solved ?

On November 24, 1971 a man boarded a Northwest Airlines Boeing 727 using the alias Dan Cooper. He was nicely dressed and carried an attache case in which he informed the stewardess he had a bomb. He demanded $200,000.00 in unmarked bills or he would blow up the plane. He tied the 22 lb. bag of ransom money to himself, donned a parachute, and jumped.

A thorough search of the drop zone located in the forest of the Cascade mountains yielded no clues. With no further information to guide them, the FBI presumed the jumper to be dead. Yet they had no body and no bag of money to verify this. The case went cold.

A new investigation has revealed what seems to be solid evidence against one man named Kenny Christianson. He had the training and the motive to pull of such a stunt.

Kenny Christianson was a paratrooper in the United States Army. He learned how to jump under all types of scenarios. He learned how to land in trees, how to handle bad weather conditions, and even how to jump with heavy equipment attached to him. He served for two years and then got a job with Northwest Airlines refueling airplanes.

The airline industry has a history of layoffs and strikes. Kenny was no exception to this and he became disgruntled. It is possible that Kenny masterminded the plan as a way to stabilize himself financially, but also as means to get back at the airlines for the years of job insecurity.

Kenny's own brother is convinced it was him. He told the FBI that Kenny had no money before the skyjacking, but was spending plenty after it. He also never again wore his toupee.

Then there is the photo. It shows Kenny with the right style coat, attache case, and bag (like a money bag) walking through a door way. His appearance resembles exactly what was described by witnesses.

In the attic of his house investigators found a cubby hole/trapdoor that looks as if it was intended to hide something...something about the size of a money bag. Years later a boy found a cache of money behind Christianson's house. The lucky kid got to keep half of it.
Even with all this new information, the FBI remains steadfast in their belief that the jumper died that day and are reluctant to consider Christianson as a prime suspect.

It has been dubbed the perfect crime and for now the case must officially remain an unsolved mystery.
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Several changes in airline industry came as a result of the 1971 Thanksgiving skyjacking. Modern airplanes have a lock on the cargo door so that it can not be opened from the inside. Metal detectors and other scanning equipment were introduced as a direct result of the event.

The question remains... could someone survive jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 ft. in the freezing rain with a 22lb weight attached to him? The answer is yes. Another skyjacker jumped from a plane 6,000 ft. higher and survived.

An experienced skydiver, with Christianson's same military training, verified that a successful jump can be made with a much  heavier weight attached and in practically any weather condition.
The jumper ordered the captain to stay below 10,000 feet and set the flaps at a 15 degree angle. It was clear that the jumper had a vast knowledge of airplanes and used that knowledge to his advantage.

Could Christianson's friend Bernie have been an accomplice? Bernie says no, but there are several holes in his story. Why was he late for Thanksgiving dinner and why won't he answer about the location of his camper? I think he knows more than he is saying.