In The News

________________________________________________________________

TOTAL OUTRAGE

Capt. Luis Montalvan was joined by supporters to protest his
mistreatment by McDonald's employees when he went there to eat with his
service dog, Tuesday.

Protest of McDonalds over Violation of Disability Rights from Marcia Rock on Vimeo.


_________________________________________________________________

The Soldiers take a musical break from the day job

Three servicemen who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan release their debut album, Coming Home

They may lack Cheryl's smile, Robbie's wit or Alexandra's dance moves, but they do have a unique selling point: each member of the band has risked their life for their country. The Soldiers, three servicemen who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, today released their debut album, Coming Home.

The trio – Sergeant Major Gary Chilton, Sergeant Richie Maddocks and Lieutenant Corporal Ryan Idzi – recorded the album during a break in their duties but describe being in the army as their "day job". It features a range of covers including He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, by The Hollies, and Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven.

The title track, which features the line "All the wounded and the brave/the ones God couldn't save/We salute your courage", is a tribute to fallen colleagues and a celebration of those who have made it back. Chilton, who has been a military musician since joining the army as a 16-year-old, told the Guardian the song did not contain any political message. "We are there to serve the government, which is elected by the people of this country. The lads in Afghanistan are doing a fantastic job."

Many people had found the single a huge comfort, he added. "It is a tough time for the army at the moment, and for the lads out there, to see three of their own in the charts is a great thing."

They have already gathered a substantial following, with almost 27,000 fans following them on their Facebook page. The youngest member of the band, 24-year-old Idzi, may already be known to fans of The X Factor: he sang Lean on Me in his audition in 2007 and was told by the perennially frisky Dannii Minogue that he was "gorgeous".

dzi, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the 20th Armoured Brigade, said at the time he would not leave the army even if he won the competition. "Singing has always been my hobby and the army has always been my job. Of course I want to have a number one single and album, but if I can do both then I will," he said. He made it to the Boot Camp stage of the show before suffering a bout of stage fright and leaving the competition.

Chilton, a Gulf war veteran who was awarded the Gulf medal, joined the Royal Armoured Corps in 1984 straight from school and throughout his army career has sung around the world. Maddocks, from Oldham, Manchester, who was also awarded the Gulf medal, joined the army as a 16-year-old and has served in Europe, Canada, Cyprus, Finland and the Falklands.

The album's producer, Nick Patrick, who has worked with Russell Watson, said the men had a "great time" in the recording studio. He said: "Having worked with some of the UK's biggest classical recording artists, Gary, Ritchie and Ryan's voices are some of the most genuine and heartfelt voices I've heard in a long time."

Coming Home, the single, was released as a digital download on 5 October with all proceeds going to the Army Benevolent Fund, which will also get a share of the profits from the album, along with Help For Heroes and other groups that support soldiers.

Could the single be this year's Christmas number one? The Soldiers and their fellow servicemen and women have high hopes. "It's a fickle trade but it would be fantastic," said Chilton. "And who knows? If Mr Blobby can do it, so can we."

Mullen: U.S. focused on entire al Qaeda network

December 15, 2009 1:58 a.m. EST

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The United States is focused on eliminating not just Osama bin Laden, but the entire al Qaeda network and its extremist allies, the Pentagon's top military officer said Monday.

Adm. Mike Mullen was in the Afghan capital where he held a news conference to discuss U.S. plans and the upcoming surge of 30,000 more troops. He reiterated the United States' commitment to ensuring long-term stability for Afghans.

He said he was concerned about a resurgence of militants in the country.

"The most important goal in this strategy is the elimination of the safe heavens for al Qaeda and its extremist allies," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. "And to ensure that Afghanistan does not provide a safe haven for his people."

He added that part of the goal will include "to capture and kill" terror mastermind bin Laden.

"But it's not just bin Laden ... quite frankly," he said. "It's the entire network that must be defeated. We are very focused on that in terms of the outcome."

Mullen said the additional troops deployed to Afghanistan will remain in the country exclusively, and there are no plans to send any to neighboring Pakistan.

The U.S. commitment to Pakistan remains in training their forces and helping with equipment, he said.

Mullen hailed pledges by NATO members to send 7,000 more troops to Afghanistan to battle Taliban and al Qaeda extremists, and train Afghan forces. The troops will augment the 30,000 additional American troops that President Barack Obama recently announced he was sending to Afghanistan as part of a new initiative to stabilize the country.

"We cannot accomplish our mission alone," Mullen said.

Table Of Contents