In Honor of Vietnam Veterans

Today, most appropriately, was proclaimed Vietnam Veterans Day by the president of the United States. Less than two decades after the end of World War II, the United States entered the war in Vietnam in the early 1960s, and began one of our longest and most challenging wars. More than a decade of conflict, on March 29, 1973, the last of our troops left Vietnam. 

More than 3 million Americans answered our country's call and served with honor, and today we bestow honor on those who fought on behalf of this nation and pay tribute to those we have laid to rest. More than 58,000 made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our Nation. 

On behalf of the Air Force Association, we give our most sincere gratitude, honor, and respect for the men and women of the U.S. military who fought in Vietnam.



American servicemen, former prisoners of war, are cheering as their aircraft takes off
from an airfield near Hanoi as part of Operation Homecoming, February 1973.

Hagel Honors Sacrifices on 10th Anniversary of Iraq War’s Start

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2013 – On the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel released a statement today honoring the sacrifices made by service members, their families and the Iraqi people.

Here is the text of the secretary’s statement:

This week marks the ten year anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. While that conflict has been brought to an end, we must never lose sight of the tremendous sacrifices our brave men and women in uniform made during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Every one of the more than one million service members that deployed to Iraq, often for multiple tours of duty, deserves our highest praise and deepest debt of gratitude. They served with valor and met every challenge - from the streets of Fallujah and Sadr City to outposts in Ramadi and Mosul - always watching out for their brothers and sisters in arms.

The American people will always honor the sacrifices of the 4,475 U.S. service members who died in Iraq, and the more than 32,000 who came home wounded. Every man and woman who served in Iraq carries with them the scars of war. As we remember these quiet heroes this week we are also reminded of their families and their sacrifices, as we also honor and thank them.

Our reflections include the Iraqi people - the Iraqi soldiers and police officers who died alongside our own, the men and women who were caught in the crossfire, and those who still struggle today to secure and govern their nation. The Iraqi people will determine the future of Iraq and the United States will continue to support their efforts for a peaceful, secure, free, and prosperous nation.

Official statement page: http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15868

Franklin Cyber Patriot Squad Seeks Gold in Third Finals Appearance

From Patch.com

Franklin Cyber Patriot Squad Seeks Gold in Third Finals Appearance

By David Fonseca, March 11, 2013
For the third year in a row, a squad of Benjamin Franklin High School students will head to Washington D.C. on Tuesday to compete in Cyber Patriot, the Air Force Association's National High School Cyber Defense Competition.

This year, Franklin beat out more than 1,000 other high schools to become one of only 12 squads to qualify in the tournament's open division.

The seven-member squad goes by the name Unbreakable, a moniker that coach Yenny Yi said perfectly sums up their spirit.

"Unbreakable symbolizes our strong bond that we have built throughout the time we have had together. Unbreakable is how we view our spirits," Yi said. "No matter the obstacles placed in our paths, our spirits have remained strong and have in fact grown stronger as we have overcome them."

To read the full article: http://highlandpark-ca.patch.com/articles/franklin-cyber-patriot-squad-seeks-gold-in-third-finals-appearance#video-13639350

Marshall Academy Students Prepare for CyberPatriot National Finals

Students on the Marshall Academy CyberPatriot teams prepare to compete in next week's CyberPatriot National Finals Competition. The students are eager to compete and believe they have a fair shot at winning this year. Marshall Academy at Marshall High School will send two teams to the CyberPatriot V National Finals Competition at National Harbor (Md.) from March 14-16.

“This is our second year going back, and we know so much more about the competition,” said senior Alex Handley, 17. “We finished seventh out of 12 in the national finals [last year], so we’ve got high hopes we’ll do better this year.”

To continue reading: http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130308/NEWS/130309194/1117/marshall-students-poised-to-win-national-cyber-war&template=fairfaxTimes