<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/xsl/rss2html.xsl" type="text/xsl" media="screen"?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/scripts/wpcss/wiki/hotmilitaryspouses/skin/ghostgreen/rss" type="text/css" media="screen"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><channel><title>Hot Military Spouses by AidaUSMC - Recently Updated Pages</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/pageSearch/updated</link><description>Recently Updated Pages on http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com</description><language>en-us</language><webMaster>info@wetpaint.com</webMaster><pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:25:16 CST</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:25:16 CST</lastBuildDate><generator>wetpaint.com</generator><ttl>60</ttl><image><title>Hot Military Spouses by AidaUSMC</title><url>http://image.wetpaint.com/image/2/g58mtzMS_PBNZmNc6Gv6fA123023</url><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com</link><description>US Military Spouses:  This site is where people share their varied interests and interact with others.</description></image><item><title>Hot Military Spouses by AidaUSMC Home</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Hot+Military+Spouses+by+AidaUSMC+Home</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Hot+Military+Spouses+by+AidaUSMC+Home</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:25:16 CST</pubDate><description>&lt;h2 align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  &lt;/h2&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;b&gt;Prayer&lt;/b&gt;   &lt;h2&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Lord, counsel and sound wisdom is yours; You are the God of all the earth, there is nothing that is hidden from Your sight. We come to You Lord and ask for Your wise counsel to be with our military leaders.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;  &lt;h2&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;We acknowledge Lord, that apart from You we can do nothing. Please give our commanders the wise guidance they need, and the wisdom they need for success.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;  &lt;h2&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Confound the wisdom of the wicked Lord, and give Your strategies to our troops. Guide them with Your eye upon them and bring them through to safety and peace. In Jesus name, amen!&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;  &lt;h2&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Don&amp;#39;t Forget Our Homeland Security&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;  &lt;h2&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Pray for: Protection for Americans overseas&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;  &lt;h2&gt;  &lt;/h2&gt;  &lt;h2 align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/h2&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;400&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>US Military in Afghanistan - Conflict in Afghanistan</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afghanistan+-+Conflict+in+Afghanistan</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afghanistan+-+Conflict+in+Afghanistan</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:16:57 CST</pubDate><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff0000&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#0000ff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;20&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#f0e68b&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;    &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afghanistan#edit&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;CONFLICT &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afghanistan#edit&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;in AFGHANISTAN&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Marine%27s+Mission&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;US MARINE&amp;#39;S Mission In Afghanistan&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/KANDAHAR+PROVINCE&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;KANDAHAR PROVINCE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Is It Safe?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/MARINES+2/7+FIRST+DIVISION&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;MARINES 2/7 FIRST DIVISION&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CARE+Packages+for+US+Troops&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;CARE Packages for US Troops&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;Conflict in Afghanistan&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;b&gt;More than two decades of conflict severely hindered Afghanistan&amp;#39;s progress toward meeting development goals. A Communist coup in 1978 and Soviet invasion one year later ushered in years of fighting that continued after the Soviets pulled out in 1989. Guerilla factions carried on the violent, internal conflict throughout the early 1990s. In 1994, a group of Islamic fundamentalists, the Taliban, emerged as a political force and within two years controlled most of the country. Their strict interpretation of the Koran led to significant restrictions on basic freedoms and resulted in violent clashes with anti-Taliban groups.   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;deployment&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;The War in Afghanistan, began on October 7, 2001, and was launched by the United States and the United Kingdom in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was the beginning of the War on Terror. The stated purpose of the invasion was to capture Osama bin Laden, destroy al-Qaeda, and remove the Taliban regime which had provided support and safe harbor to al-Qaeda.   &lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;A soldier checks the sights of a machine gun atop an American outpost.&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;In October 2001, the US and and its allies launched an aerial bombing campaign against the Taliban, with ground forces supplied primarily by the Afghan Northern Alliance. In 2002, American, British and Canadian infantry were committed, along with special forces from several allied nations. France publicly announced a rein- forcement of 700 fresh troops. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) then pledged to send nearly 2,000 additional soldiers to support the alliance force&amp;#39;s operation in Afghanistan.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;175&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;A US marine under fire.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;The 2,300-strong US Marine Expeditionary Unit was part of Washington&amp;#39;s contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) against Islamic rebels. Marines and sailors arrived and the unit began operations after weeks of flying personnel and equipment there. They began their operations in southern Afghanistan. The Marine force conducted full-spectrum operations from humanitarian assistance missions to combat operations. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;400&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;A medic treats a U.S. Army Soldier for shrapnel wounds from a rocket-propelled grenade explosion. The soldier continued fighting minutes after he was treated. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Within weeks, the initial attack, by US-led Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan (CFC-A, formerly called Coalition Forces) had forced the Taliban from Kabul by late 2001,and had began to wage an ongoing military campaign to weed out remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, but Taliban forces regained some strength. The insurgency, which included suicide bombings, was said to be supported by the Al-Qaeda terror network, which had increased especially in the country&amp;#39;s south and east.&lt;/font&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;100&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Conflict+in+Afghanistan+2&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>US Marine's Mission</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Marine%27s+Mission</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Marine%27s+Mission</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:58:18 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff0000&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#0000ff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;20&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#f0e68b&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;   &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;   &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afgh&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;CONFLICT &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afgh&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;in AFGHANISTAN&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Marines+Mission&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Marine%27s+Mission&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;US MARINE&amp;#39;S Mission In Afghanistan&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/KANDAHAR+PROVINCE&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;KANDAHAR PROVINCE&lt;/a&gt; Is It Safe?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/MARINES+2/7+FIRST+DIVISION&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;MARINES 2/7 FIRST DIVISION&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CARE+Packages+for+US+Troops&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;CARE Packages for US Troops&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  US Marine&amp;#39;s Mission&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  What&amp;#39;s the Marine&amp;#39;s Mission In Afghanistan?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The Marine Corps is pressing to remove its forces from Iraq and to send marines instead to Afghanistan, to take over the leading role in combat there, according to senior military and Pentagon officials.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The idea by the Marine Corps commandant would effectively leave the Iraq war in the hands of the Army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO command.&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  The suggestion was raised in a session convened by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and regional war-fighting commanders. While still under review, its supporters, including some in the Army, argue that a realignment could allow the Army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  As described by officials who had been briefed on the closed-door discussion, the idea represents the first tangible new thinking to emerge since the White House endorsed a plan to begin gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq, but also signals that American forces likely will be in Iraq for years to come. &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;15&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;100&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Conflict+in+Afghanistan+2&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;   &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>Conflict in Afghanistan 2</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Conflict+in+Afghanistan+2</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Conflict+in+Afghanistan+2</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:46:51 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff0000&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#0000ff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;20&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#f0e68b&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afghanistan#edit&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;CONFLICT &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afghanistan#edit&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;in AFGHANISTAN&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Marine%27s+Mission&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;US MARINE&amp;#39;S Mission In Afghanistan&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/KANDAHAR+PROVINCE&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;KANDAHAR PROVINCE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Is It Safe?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/MARINES+2/7+FIRST+DIVISION&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;MARINES 2/7 FIRST DIVISION&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;20%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffddad&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-none WPC-edit-borderLeft-none WPC-edit-borderRight-none WPC-edit-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CARE+Packages+for+US+Troops&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;CARE Packages for US Troops&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;Conflict in Afghanistan 2&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;The spike in violence prompted NATO commanders to call for reinforcements. Several thousand US troops remained in Afghanistan hunting Taliban supporters who had regrouped since 2003.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;400&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;U.S. soldiers prepare to enter and clear a room of all threats. Soldiers are looking for cached weapons, Al Qaeda and Taliban members.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;The war had been less successful in achieving the goal of restricting al-Qaeda&amp;#39;s movement. Taliban leader Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden evaded capture and were thought to have survived the offensive.   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;400&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;A CH-53E Super Stallion lands amid billowing clouds of dust during a resupply mission for Marines conducting combat and civil military operations.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;During 2006, CFC-A and NATO troops gradually merged operations, and by October NATO assumed responsibility for security throughout the country with resources of about 40,000 troops. A separate US force of 10,000 troops under the banner Operation Enduring Freedom continues to seach for al-Qaeda leaders. In 2006, more than 3,000 Afghans died in the violence, twice as many as in 2005 and more than in any other year since the 2001 fall of the Taliban.   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;280&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;A CH-47 Chinook helicopter carries troops &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;and supplies over the mountains.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;The Afghan government has attempted to disarm and demobilize ex-combatants and illegal militias for several years, but an anti-government insurgency continues to threaten security in the country, particularly in the southern and eastern areas of the country that NATO forces have struggled to bring under government control. 2007 saw the worst violence with estimates suggesting about 6,500 deaths including over 900 Afghan policemen.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;230&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Standing by after setting fire to a &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Taliban shelter.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;One of the troubling consequences of so much fighting is the large presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Afghanistan is considered one of the most heavily mined countries in the world and 2007 witnessed a continued increase in the number of persons killed by mines or UXO. The government has added de-mining as a major priority.   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;225&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;An exhausted American soldier.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;After seven years in which the violence in Afghanistan has become worse, many experts find it difficult to see signs of hope and suggest a bleak future for 2008.   &lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;15&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;100&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Military+in+Afghanistan#edit&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+Marine%27s+Mission&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>US MARINES Mission In Afghanistan</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+MARINES+Mission+In+Afghanistan</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/US+MARINES+Mission+In+Afghanistan</guid><comments>Moved from: Marines 2/7 first division</comments><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:18:46 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;h2&gt;  What&amp;#39;s the Marine&amp;#39;s Mission In Afghan?&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;  The Marine Corps is pressing to remove its forces from Iraq and to send marines instead to Afghanistan, to take over the leading role in combat there, according to senior military and Pentagon officials. &lt;br&gt;The idea by the Marine Corps commandant would effectively leave the Iraq war in the hands of the Army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO command.&lt;br&gt;The suggestion was raised in a session last week convened by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and regional war-fighting commanders. While still under review, its supporters, including some in the Army, argue that a realignment could allow the Army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces. &lt;br&gt;As described by officials who had been briefed on the closed-door discussion, the idea represents the first tangible new thinking to emerge since the White House last month endorsed a plan to begin gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq, but also signals that American forces likely will be in Iraq for years to come.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>Donate Goods</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Donate+Goods</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Donate+Goods</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:52:21 CDT</pubDate><description>Our mission is to provide assistance with the day-to-day issues that military families encounter when service members are deployed. Deployments can be a lonely and stressful time for families and Operation Homefront is here to be a helping hand. Operation Homefront has many programs currently accepting goods donations. To find out more, click on one of the links below:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#FOOD_DONATIONS_&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;Food&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#CAR_DONATIONS_&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;Vehicles&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#BABY_ITEMS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;Baby Items&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#COMPUTERS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;Computers&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#DIGITAL_CAMERAS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;Digital Cameras&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#FURNITURE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;Furniture&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#CARE_PACKAGE_ITEMS&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;Care Packages&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#BACK_TO_SCHOOL_ITEMS_&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;Back to School&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.operationhomefront.net/sandiego/donate_goods.htm#E-TRASH_RECYCLING_&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#3366ff&quot;&gt;E-Trash Recycling&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Adress: 73973 Two Mile rd # 91 29Palms CA 92277 (US Military Families) &lt;br&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>Care Packages for US Troops</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Care+Packages+for+US+Troops</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Care+Packages+for+US+Troops</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:50:53 CDT</pubDate><description>Hot Military Wives is on the mission of sending care packages to our troops deployed over seas.&lt;br&gt;If you are interested in donating please contact &amp;quot;US&amp;quot; for address and further info.&lt;br&gt;Thanks,Semper Fidelis!&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>Love Poems</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Love+Poems</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Love+Poems</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:41:54 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;h2&gt;  &lt;b&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-all&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#c48aff&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid2px wp-borderLeft-solid2px wp-borderRight-solid2px wp-borderBottom-solid2px&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#bc55d4&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid WPC-edit-borderLeft-solid WPC-edit-borderRight-solid WPC-edit-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff1495&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff69b4&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;25&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffb8c1&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff0000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Loving A Marine&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff1495&quot; size=&quot;6&quot;&gt;T&lt;/font&gt;he days may seem long, but that&amp;#39;s okay&lt;br&gt;Because they come and fade away.&lt;br&gt;Loving a Marine is a beautiful task,&lt;br&gt;It takes many things that one may lack.&lt;br&gt;It takes courage, love, and faithfulness too,&lt;br&gt;Also communication that is shared between the two.&lt;br&gt;Loving a Marine can be hard as well,&lt;br&gt;It can leave you longing for more and not feel so swell.&lt;br&gt;Yes, the time does feel slow,&lt;br&gt;But that shouldn&amp;#39;t keep you feeling so low.&lt;br&gt;Loving a Marine is found in many ways,&lt;br&gt;You can find it anywhere every day.&lt;br&gt;From mothers, brothers, sisters, and fathers,&lt;br&gt;To friends, cousins, enemies, and lovers.&lt;br&gt;Loving a Marine is something I would never trade,&lt;br&gt;Thinking of him keeps me strong in every way.&lt;br&gt;The pictures, letters, and Marine items I hold onto,&lt;br&gt;Keep me smiling and hopeful in everything I do.&lt;br&gt;Loving a Marine should fill you with pride,&lt;br&gt;To know they are protecting you from every side.&lt;br&gt;They fight a battle that is hard to win,&lt;br&gt;But will claim victory in the end.&lt;br&gt;Loving a Marine is something special I feel,&lt;br&gt;It&amp;#39;s something no one can break down or steal.&lt;br&gt;Knowing I have a man so noble and brave,&lt;br&gt;Makes prince charming seem so lame.&lt;br&gt;Loving a Marine can take all your energy and might,&lt;br&gt;It&amp;#39;s worth every minute for that one day he&amp;#39;s in sight.&lt;br&gt;We should all respect and stand up for&lt;br&gt;Our men and women in the United States Marine Corps!&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff1495&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff69b4&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;25&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffb8c1&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff0000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;The Marine Corps Wife&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff0000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff1495&quot; size=&quot;6&quot;&gt;N&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;o stripes on her arm, but she&amp;rsquo;s no boot &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;A squared away gal who&amp;rsquo;s really quite cute &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She takes her order&amp;rsquo;s as a real &amp;quot;salt&amp;quot; should &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And takes care of her job as a good Marine would. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She won&amp;#39;t be promoted, though she deserves to be &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She&amp;rsquo;s happy with the life the Marine Corps gave me &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;For the years to come and throughout her life &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;She&amp;rsquo;ll proudly bear the title of &amp;quot;Marine Corps Wife.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff1495&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff69b4&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;25&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffb8c1&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff0000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;True Love Waits&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff0000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff1495&quot; size=&quot;6&quot;&gt;A&lt;/font&gt;s I lie here alone once again,&lt;br&gt;I think of the night I first said yes;&lt;br&gt;when you asked me if this is what I wanted.&lt;br&gt;We both knew that it would be a long&lt;br&gt;and hard three months.&lt;br&gt;But it was then that I first told you that I would wait.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;After that night, things were so easy,&lt;br&gt;we fit together so well.&lt;br&gt;I was feeling something that I had never felt before, I was beginning to fall in love with you.&lt;br&gt;I knew then that I wanted to marry a Marine and that I would be a Military Wife someday.&lt;br&gt;I knew then that I had to wait.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;As months went by we became closer and closer.&lt;br&gt;But so did that day, that dreaded day.&lt;br&gt;May 22nd &amp;ndash; a day that I hate.&lt;br&gt;We gave our hugs and said our goodbyes.&lt;br&gt;Then I watched you drive away, so far away.&lt;br&gt;I promised you then that I would wait.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;In the beginning it was horrible.&lt;br&gt;I was sick, I was scared,&lt;br&gt;I didn&amp;rsquo;t know how to live without you.&lt;br&gt;I must have read that first letter a thousand times.&lt;br&gt;When I wrote you each night,&lt;br&gt;I assured you that I would wait.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Those thirteen weeks were hard, real hard.&lt;br&gt;The days felt like weeks but the weeks felt like days.&lt;br&gt;You told me to take one day at time,&lt;br&gt;so that&amp;rsquo;s what I did.&lt;br&gt;And before I knew it, I was on my way to see you.&lt;br&gt;To see you become a United States Marine.&lt;br&gt;I was scared, I was excited.&lt;br&gt;But I still had to wait.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I saw you standing there, so tall and handsome.&lt;br&gt;I could see the pride in your eyes,&lt;br&gt;as he gave you your Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.&lt;br&gt;You did it, your now a Marine.&lt;br&gt;I was so happy, I was so excited.&lt;br&gt;I ran to you with open arms.&lt;br&gt;The day had come, we were together again, everything was great.&lt;br&gt;I knew then that you were worth the wait.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;We came home with smiling faces,&lt;br&gt;I was so proud of my Marine.&lt;br&gt;Four days later I said yes for the second time; when you asked me if I still wanted to marry a Marine.&lt;br&gt;But this time to my surprise you pulled out a ring.&lt;br&gt;This truly was the happiest day of life.&lt;br&gt;August 22nd I said yes to my Marine.&lt;br&gt;You were worth the wait. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Ten days later I had to watch you leave yet again.&lt;br&gt;This time as your fianc&amp;eacute; and with a ring on my finger.&lt;br&gt;I was sad but I wasn&amp;rsquo;t scared.&lt;br&gt;As I watched you get on that plane and fly away, so far way, I gave you my heart and again I gave you my word that I would wait. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Now I wait like I promised I would.&lt;br&gt;I wait for your calls so that I can hear your voice, just like I waited for your letters just to see your handwriting.&lt;br&gt;I will wait as long as it takes, I will wait for my Marine.&lt;br&gt;I will wait because you are &amp;quot;the one&amp;quot;,&lt;br&gt;I will wait because true love waits. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff1495&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff69b4&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;25&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffb8c1&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff0000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Angels in Uniform &lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff1495&quot; size=&quot;6&quot;&gt;I&lt;/font&gt;n sand storms or pouring rain&lt;br&gt;In the U.S. is where most were born&lt;br&gt;Fighting for rights of others&lt;br&gt;Are our blessed angels in uniform&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Some have battled evil before&lt;br&gt;To others, this fight is new&lt;br&gt;Remember that the rights of many&lt;br&gt;Are won by a special few&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Heroes one and all I say&lt;br&gt;Brave men and women choose&lt;br&gt;To protect the freedom we love&lt;br&gt;In a battle they will not lose&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Thanks to all who served before&lt;br&gt;And to all who serve today&lt;br&gt;May God watch over and protect you&lt;br&gt;Is what we at home will pray&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;In the air, on the land or sea&lt;br&gt;In a world that&amp;rsquo;s so badly torn&lt;br&gt;Go these wonderful and fearless&lt;br&gt;Blessed angels in uniform &lt;br&gt;Angels in Uniform &lt;br&gt;In sand storms or pouring rain&lt;br&gt;In the U.S. is where most were born&lt;br&gt;Fighting for rights of others&lt;br&gt;Are our blessed angels in uniform&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Some have battled evil before&lt;br&gt;To others, this fight is new&lt;br&gt;Remember that the rights of many&lt;br&gt;Are won by a special few&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Heroes one and all I say&lt;br&gt;Brave men and women choose&lt;br&gt;To protect the freedom we love&lt;br&gt;In a battle they will not lose&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Thanks to all who served before&lt;br&gt;And to all who serve today&lt;br&gt;May God watch over and protect you&lt;br&gt;Is what we at home will pray&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;In the air, on the land or sea&lt;br&gt;In a world that&amp;rsquo;s so badly torn&lt;br&gt;Go these wonderful and fearless&lt;br&gt;Blessed angels in uniform. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff1495&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;10&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ff69b4&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;25&quot; class=&quot;WPC-edit-border-none&quot; width=&quot;525&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffb8c1&quot; class=&quot; WPC-edit-borderTop-solid wp-borderLeft-solid wp-borderRight-solid wp-borderBottom-solid&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff0000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;LOVE YOU FOREVER&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff0000&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ff1495&quot; size=&quot;6&quot;&gt;A&lt;/font&gt;t birth it was easy to love&lt;br&gt;You were an angel sent from above&lt;br&gt;With age came the true test&lt;br&gt;Of mothers I&amp;rsquo;d try to be the best&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Curiosity would peak here and there&lt;br&gt;Sometimes i thought - more than i could bear&lt;br&gt;They were stages - you had to grow&lt;br&gt;I can help - just listen to what i know&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I still loved you just the same&lt;br&gt;But with the growth, disappointment came&lt;br&gt;Disappointment not in you&lt;br&gt;But in some things you&amp;rsquo;d chose to do&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Now you&amp;rsquo;ve chosen to take a stand&lt;br&gt;Step out of childhood - become a man&lt;br&gt;I can&amp;rsquo;t believe you&amp;rsquo;ve gone to Iraq&lt;br&gt;Counting the minutes till you get back&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Don&amp;rsquo;t forget that prayer is a must&lt;br&gt;For it&amp;rsquo;s in god and not bush we trust&lt;br&gt;He&amp;rsquo;ll bring you home i have no doubt&lt;br&gt;If he takes you to it he&amp;rsquo;ll bring you out&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Being there&amp;rsquo;s got to be rough&lt;br&gt;Just not being here is even tough&lt;br&gt;Whatever it is that you go through&lt;br&gt;Hang in there Corey - I love you!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;I&amp;rsquo;ll love you forever&lt;br&gt;I&amp;rsquo;ll like you for always&lt;br&gt;As long as I&amp;rsquo;m living&lt;br&gt;My baby you&amp;rsquo;ll be!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/b&gt;  &lt;/h2&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>Jokes about Marines</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Jokes+about+Marines</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Jokes+about+Marines</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:26:05 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;font face=&quot;Verdana&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;A sailor in a bar leans over to the guy next to him and says, &amp;#39;&amp;#39;Wanna hear a MARINE joke?&amp;#39;&amp;#39; &lt;br&gt;The guy next to him replies, &amp;#39;&amp;#39;Well, before you tell that joke, you should know something. I&amp;#39;m 6&amp;#39; tall, 200 lbs, and I&amp;#39;m a MARINE. The guy sitting next to me is 6&amp;#39;2&amp;#39;&amp;#39; tall, weighs 225, and he&amp;#39;s a MARINE. The fella next to him is 6&amp;#39;5&amp;#39;&amp;#39; tall, weighs 250, and he&amp;#39;s also a MARINE. Now, you still wanna tell that joke?&amp;#39;&amp;#39;&lt;br&gt;The sailor says, &amp;#39;&amp;#39;Nah, I don&amp;#39;t want to have to explain it three times.&amp;#39;&amp;#39; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Two airmen were driving across country on leave. They come to a Marine Corps base and decide to visit. They approach the gate and the Marine Guard walks up to the driver&amp;#39;s window, and taps on it with his nightstick. The driver rolls down the window, and the Marine smacks him in the head with the stick. The driver says, &amp;quot;Why&amp;#39;d you do that? &lt;br&gt;The Marine says, &amp;quot;You&amp;#39;re on a United States Marine Corps Base, son. When I come up to your car, you&amp;#39;ll have your ID card ready.&amp;quot; Driver says, &amp;quot;I&amp;#39;m sorry, we&amp;#39;re in the Air Force, and we didn&amp;#39;t know.&amp;quot; The Marine examines the I.D. card and gives it back to the driver&lt;br&gt;The Marine walks around to the passenger side and taps on the window. The passenger rolls his window down, and the Marine smacks him with the nightstick. The passenger says, &amp;quot;What&amp;#39;d you do that for?&amp;quot; The Marine says,&amp;quot;Just making your wishes come true.&amp;quot; The passenger says, &amp;quot;Huh?&amp;quot; The Marine says, &amp;quot;I know that as soon as you pull away you&amp;#39;re gonna say, &amp;#39;I wish that sucker would&amp;#39;ve tried that stuff with me!&amp;#39;&amp;quot; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Two Marines graduated Basic Training and were informed that they were being sent to school to become Marine Corps Helicopter Mechanics.&lt;/font&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;After graduation from helicopter mechanic school, they were sent to their first duty station, and were assigned to work on the flight line.&lt;/font&gt; &lt;font face=&quot;Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Just before morning the one yelled, &amp;quot;Mick! I lost me finger!&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Have you now?&amp;quot; says Mick. &amp;quot;And how did you do it?&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;I just touched this big spinning thing here... Damn! There goes another one!&amp;quot; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>SUPPORT OUR TROOPS</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/SUPPORT+OUR+TROOPS</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/SUPPORT+OUR+TROOPS</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:11:21 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;5&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#0000ff&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.forces.gc.ca/site/community/messageboard/message_add_e.asp&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#0000ff&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Post a Message - National Defence and the Canadian Forces&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/font&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt; 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 &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>CANADA at WAR</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CANADA+at+WAR</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CANADA+at+WAR</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:51:27 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;4&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-all&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#bfbfbf&quot; class=&quot; wp-borderTop-none wp-borderLeft-none wp-borderRight-none wp-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;15&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-all&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#007000&quot; class=&quot; wp-borderTop-none wp-borderLeft-none wp-borderRight-none wp-borderBottom-none&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;      &lt;div&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the United States, Canada became the third-largest contributor to the NATO-led (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) invasion of Afghanistan, behind the United States and the United Kingdom. The Canadian Forces immediately deployed its elite special operations unit Joint Task Force Two. It was used in a vital role in calling airstrikes and directly confronting Al-Qaeda and Taliban positions. Of the approximately 15,000 Canadian troops who have been stationed in Afghanistan, 2,500 remain as the standard complement as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;210&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;On a mission in Afghanistan.&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;At the time of the invasion, the Canadian government defined Canada&amp;#39;s reasons for participating in the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Afghanistan &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;mission as follows:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;-defend Canada&amp;#39;s national interests&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;-ensure Canadian leadership in world affairs&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;-and help Afghanistan rebuild.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;250&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Checking a hole in the ground for potential explosives.&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Once the regular forces were on the ground in January-February 2002 the Canadians were used to support the war effort until Operation Anaconda began. During the operation, a Canadian sniper team broke, and re-broke, the kill record for a long distance sniper kill set in the Vietnam War by a U.S. Marine. Operation Anaconda was also the first time since the Korean War that Canadian soldiers relieved American &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;soldiers &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;in a combat operation.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;In March 2002, three Princess Patricia&amp;#39;s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) snipers fought alongside U.S. Army units during Operation Anaconda. Canadian forces also undertook Operation Harpoon in the Shah-i-Kot Valley. Other forces in the country provided garrison and security troops.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;350&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Canadian soldiers evacuate injured personnel from Kandahar&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Airfield after their armoured vehicle was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The incident wounded two Canadian soldiers.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;In 2003, the Canadian Forces moved to the northern city of Kabul where it became the commanding nation &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;of the newly formed ISAF. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;In August 2003, Operation Athena began outside Kabul as part of the ISAF, with a 1,900-strong Canadian task force providing assistance to civilian infrastructure such as well-digging and repair of local buildings.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;275&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Combat operations west of Kandahar.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;In March 2004, Canada committed $250 million in aid to Afghanistan, and $5 million to support the 2004 Afghan election.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;325&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Canadian soldiers are part of a 5,500-strong peace-keeping force.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/SUPPORT+OUR+TROOPS&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#256b33&quot;&gt;Support Our Troops&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;On 13 February 2005, Defence Minister Bill Graham announced Canada was doubling the number of troops in Afghanistan by the coming summer, from 600 troops in Kabul to 1200. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;In the spring of 2005 it was announced that the Canadian Forces would move back to the volatile Kandahar Province as the U.S. forces handed command to the Canadians in the region.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;When the Canadian Forces returned to Kandahar after being deployed to Kabul in 2003, the Taliban began a major offensive, and the Canadians were caught in the middle. A record number of attacks against Canadian soldiers had been set, which included six deaths.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;250&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Military operations in Afghanistan.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;Operation Archer followed Athena beginning in February 2006. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;On 28 February 2006, command of the forces in southern Afghanistan transferred from U.S. Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry to Canadian Brigadier-General David Fraser in a ceremony at Kandahar Airfield.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;By the spring of 2006, Canada had a major role in southern Afghanistan, with Task Force Afghanistan being a battle group of 2,300 soldiers based at Kandahar. Canada also commanded the Multi-National Brigade for Command South, a main military force in the region.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;In May 2006, the Canadian government extended Canadian military commitments to Afghanistan by two years, replacing earlier plans to withdraw soldiers in 2006.&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CANADA+at+WAR+2&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>CANADA at WAR 2</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CANADA+at+WAR+2</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CANADA+at+WAR+2</guid><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:48:50 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;4&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#bfbfbf&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;15&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;500&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#007000&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;      &lt;div&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Operation Mountain Thrust was launched in the beginning of the summer in 2006. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Canadians of the 2 PPCLI Battle Group were one of the leading combatants and the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;first fighting when the Battle of Panjwaii took place. Complex mud-walled compounds &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;made the rural Panjwaye District take on an almost urban style of fighting in some &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;places. Daily firefights, artillery bombardments, and allied airstrikes turned the tides of &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;the battle in favour of the Canadians. After Operation Mountain Thrust came to an end, &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Taliban fighters flooded back into the Panjwaye District in numbers that had not been &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;seen yet in a single area in the &amp;quot;post Anaconda&amp;quot; war.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;250&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Taking positions during sweeps in Panjawi, Afghanistan.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Canadian Forces came under NATO command at the end of July, and the 1 RCR &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;(Royal Canadian Regiment) Battle Group replaced the PPCLI. Canadians launched &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Operation Medusa in September in an attempt to clear the areas of Taliban fighters &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;from Panjwaii once and for all. The fighting of Operation Medusa led the way to the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;second, and most fierce Battle of Panjwaii in which daily gun-battles, ambushes, and &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;mortar and rocket attacks were targeting the Canadian troops. The Taliban had &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;massed with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 fighters. The Taliban were reluctant to give &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;up the area, and after being surrounded by the Canadian Forces, they dug in and &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;fought a more conventional style battle. After weeks of fighting, the Taliban had been &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;cleared from the Panjwaye area and Canadian reconstruction efforts in the area &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;began.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;310&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;A member of the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment, speaks&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt; with two young &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Afghans during a foot patrol in the&lt;/font&gt; &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;streets of Kabul.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;On 15 September 2006, the Canadian government committed a squadron of Leopard &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;tanks from Lord Strathcona&amp;#39;s Horse (Royal Canadians), and an additional 200 to 500 &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;troops to Afghanistan. Canada was the first nation to deploy armour to Afghanistan.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;140&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Leopard C2 Tank&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;On 15 December 2006, the Canadians launched Operation Falcon Summit into Zhari &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;District, to the North of Panjwaye. The operation was the Canadian involvement in the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;NATO-led Operation Mountain Fury. During Operation Falcon Summit, the Canadians &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;gained control of several key villages and towns that were former Taliban havens, &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;such as Howz-E Madad. During the first week of the operation, massive Canadian &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;artillery and tank barrages were carried out in a successful &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;attempt to clear pockets of &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Taliban resistance. The operation concluded with plans to build a new road linking &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Panjwaye with Kandahar&amp;#39;s Highway 1 that runs east-west through Zhari.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;175&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Walking patrol near Kandahar, Afghanistan.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;Royal 22e R&amp;eacute;giment Battle Group, with supporting troops from 5 GBMC &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;(Groupe-brigade m&amp;eacute;canis&amp;eacute; du Canada/Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group) plus a &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;composite tank squadron from Lord Strathcona&amp;#39;s Horse (Royal Canadians) &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;conducted operations on the ground. This rotation reflected a change in Canadian &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;tactics, with emphasis on systematically clearing, &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;holding buildings in the districts of &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Panjwaye and Zhari, while also protecting Arghandab District and the Afghan/Pakistan &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;border in the area of Spin Boldak. The focus was on intimately working with the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Afghan army, police and civil administration so as to hold cleared areas rather than &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;subsequently lose them to returning Taliban, as had previously occurred &lt;br&gt;throughout &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;the South and East.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;300&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;A wounded Canadian soldier crawls for cover after his position was &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;ambushed &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan&amp;rsquo;s Zhari district.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;On 29 January 2008, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Canada will extend its military mission in Afghanistan to 2011, only if another NATO &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;country puts more than 1,000 soldiers in the dangerous southern province of &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Kandahar. This was due to the European allies&amp;#39; refusal to deploy to Afghanistan&amp;#39;s &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;dangerous south and east. This had opened a rift with Britain, Canada, the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Netherlands, Denmark and others which, along with the United States, had borne the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;brunt of Taliban violence.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;310&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Canadian Soldiers in Afghanistan got Tim Hortons for Canada Day.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Canada has assisted in the collection, storage and &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;decom&lt;/b&gt;-&lt;b&gt;missioning of 10,000 heavy &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;weapons left in Afghanistan including artillery, tanks and rocket launchers, used in &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;decades of conflict in the country. Canada has helped clear about one third of the estimated 10 to 15 million mines in &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;Afghanistan. Canada has loaned money to over 140,000 people in &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Afghanistan. Canada has also helped train the Afghan police and army.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;   &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;table align=&quot;bottom&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; class=&quot;wp-border-none&quot; width=&quot;238&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td bgcolor=&quot;#ffffff&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;Giving water to an Afghan child.&lt;/font&gt; &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot; face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;As of April 4, 2008, the Canadian forces have suffered 83 &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#ffffff&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;reported fatalities involving &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;its soldiers in Afghanistan and one senior Foreign Affairs officer. Canada has suffered &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Times&quot; size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;the third highest number of combat casualties of any nation in the Allied Force.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;  &lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;  &lt;a href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/CANADA+at+WAR&quot; target=&quot;_self&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>Marine Suicide</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Marine+Suicide</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/Marine+Suicide</guid><comments>missed a spelling mistake...ohhh no!</comments><pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:35:16 CDT</pubDate><description>Ok this really got to me.....I was feeling sad all week and here&amp;#39;s why.&lt;br&gt;Last week, May 9th, a Marine killed himself. Why? Because his wife cheated on him.&lt;br&gt;Apparently she told him on Friday that she was pregnant with another man and that she was leaving him. He hung himself in a garage on Friday.&lt;br&gt;What I don&amp;#39;t understand is why in the world would anyone kill themselves because of a woman??? I mean there is other solutions to deal with that particular problem except killing yourself. Killing is not a solution!!&lt;br&gt;I personally think that our world is lacking in education and discipline; that includes parenting as well.&lt;br&gt;I just felt like sharing this with you guys because to me this is STUPID what he had done to himself yet very sad.&lt;br&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>UFO EVIDENCE PROOF PAGE 4</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+EVIDENCE+PROOF+PAGE+4</link><author>mujicaida</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+EVIDENCE+PROOF+PAGE+4</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:37:34 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/dia/dia2set5.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>UFO EVIDENCE PAGE 5</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+EVIDENCE+PAGE+5</link><author>mujicaida</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+EVIDENCE+PAGE+5</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:32:16 CDT</pubDate><description>There is no abstract available for this page revision.&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>UFO PAGE 4</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+PAGE+4</link><author>mujicaida</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+PAGE+4</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:31:23 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/dia/dia2set4.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>UFO PAGE 3</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+PAGE+3</link><author>mujicaida</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+PAGE+3</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:23:53 CDT</pubDate><description>This is the proof that UFO&amp;#39;s exist and Goverment tried to  hide it.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/dia/dia2set3.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>UFO Files page 2</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+Files+page+2</link><author>mujicaida</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+Files+page+2</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:19:22 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://www.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/dia/dia2set1.gif&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>UFO Findings</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+Findings</link><author>mujicaida</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/UFO+Findings</guid><comments>UFO PAGE 1</comments><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:14:39 CDT</pubDate><description>&lt;h2&gt;  &lt;/h2&gt;  U-80,841/SVI-FOIA &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Mr. John Greenewald &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Dear Mr. Greenewald: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;This responds to your request under the Freedom of Information Act dated 26 October 1996. Therein you requested records dated from 1979 through 1989 concerning Unidentified Flying Objects. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;You were previously furnished with all releasable records dated 1979 in response to your request dated 16 September 1996, case number 0703-96. A search of DIA&amp;#39;s systems of records for documents from 1980 through 1989 located I 1 documents responsive to the subject of your request. Enclosed for your use is one document with only administrative markings withheld. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Upon review, it was determined some portions of six documents are not releasable. The portions withheld are exempt from release pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(1), (b)(2), and (b)(6), Freedom of Information Act. Subsection (b)(1) applies to information properly classified under the criteria provided by Executive Order 12958. Subsection (b)(2) applies to information which pertains solely to the internal rules and practices of the Agency. Subsection (b)(6) applies to information which if released would constitute an unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of other individuals. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;All reasonably segregable portions of the documents are attached hereto. All substantive portions of the remaining four documents are not releasable. The information withheld is exempt from release pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(1), (b)(2), and (b)(6), Freedom of Information Act. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;There are no reasonably segregable portions of this exempt material. You are advised that a requester may appeal, within 60 days, an initial decision to withhold a record or part thereof. Should you wish to exercise this right, you may do so by referring to case #0811-96 and addressing your appeal to: &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Defense Intelligence Agency &lt;br&gt;ATTN: SVI-1 (FOIA) &lt;br&gt;Washington, D.C. 20340-5100&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Sincerely, &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;ROBERT P RICHARDSON&lt;br&gt;Chief, Freedom of Information Act Staff &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;    &lt;h3&gt;Defense Intelligence Agency UFO Files from 1979-1989 &lt;/h3&gt;  &lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item><item><title>HOW TO SAVE MARRIAGE AND KEEP IT EXCITING</title><link>http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/HOW+TO+SAVE+MARRIAGE+AND+KEEP+IT+EXCITING</link><author>dewy500</author><guid isPermaLink="false">http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.com/page/HOW+TO+SAVE+MARRIAGE+AND+KEEP+IT+EXCITING</guid><comments>spelling mistakes</comments><pubDate>Sat, 31 May 2008 13:46:04 CDT</pubDate><description>  &lt;table&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td width=&quot;33%&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td align=&quot;right&quot; width=&quot;33%&quot;&gt;    &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td width=&quot;33%&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;external&quot; href=&quot;http://hotmilitaryspouses.wetpaint.comhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fijilive.com/ecards/icons/Love.jpg&amp;imgrefurl=http://www.fijilive.com/ecards/&amp;h=300&amp;w=300&amp;sz=61&amp;hl=en&amp;start=1&amp;um=1&amp;tbnid=Pd-1QEwyaUWs6M:&amp;tbnh=116&amp;tbnw=116&amp;prev=/images%3Fq%3DLOVE%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-Address%26rlz%3D1I7TSHB%26sa%3DN&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; &lt;/a&gt;  &lt;table&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td class=&quot;txt&quot;&gt;  You can save your marriage. You want a permanent relationship, don&amp;#39;t you? You and your spouse were in love when you first got married. Why can&amp;#39;t you re-kindle that love now?     Remember when you fell in love and married. How did you act toward each other? Repeat those little favors nowadays. Cook his favorite meal; have his paper in his favorite chair; place his house shoes ready for him to slip into; bring him a cup of coffee while he&amp;#39;s resting. Pick a flower and bring to her; help her with the dishes after you eat; slip her a bill and tell her to buy something special; surprise her with a gift other than on her birthday. It&amp;#39;s those little things that show &amp;#39;you care for her/him.&amp;#39;       &lt;table align=&quot;right&quot; cellpadding=&quot;1&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot;&gt;  &lt;tbody&gt;  &lt;tr&gt;  &lt;td&gt;           &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;If you have a flat tire on your car, you don&amp;#39;t say, &amp;quot;I want to get rid of it.&amp;quot; No, you fix the tire or have it fixed. Don&amp;#39;t say anything about ending your relationship. Fix it.     If you are getting stale on your sex life, take time to be together, talk to each other. Reminisce about your young love. Go on a vacation. Maybe it will be just an overnight stay at a motel, but don&amp;#39;t let your work bog you down. Companionship is important for a healthy marriage.     Start to save your marriage NOW. Don&amp;#39;t look back and pick up the negative. Forget the sour times; don&amp;#39;t remind the spouse of past faults.     Begin today to add sweetness in your married life. Be positive.     One woman told me her husband had a girlfriend. She said she could not forgive him. I asked her if he had girlfriends before they became engaged.     &amp;quot;How did you win him from the girls, then? Begin today, to win him away from that girlfriend.&amp;quot; Show him you think he&amp;#39;s the most important man in the world. Make yourself and your home life so attractive he will not want to stray.     Why do you fight? All couples have disagreements. Talk over the difference and you will discover the argument was minor. Learn to be silent when you differ.     Don&amp;#39;t let your grievances linger; get it over with. Don&amp;#39;t have a fight before other people or your children. Never hit your mate. Be honest and understanding.     Jealousy has lead many a couple to the divorce court. Mindy frets when Monty is 5 or 10 minutes late getting home from work. &amp;quot;Where have you been? Who were you with? Were you with some woman?&amp;quot; What can her husband do in 10 minutes with another woman? Monty accuses Mindy of flirting with the men if she speaks to them.     Some husbands say, &amp;quot;I wouldn&amp;#39;t want a woman who wasn&amp;#39;t attractive to other men.&amp;quot; I heard a wife say, &amp;quot;Just so he doesn&amp;#39;t kiss her or spend any money on her.&amp;quot; I think both are good ways of thinking toward one&amp;#39;s spouse to keep out the envious attitudes.     Show your companion respect and affection. As one person said, &amp;quot;Be sure it is your wife/husband you&amp;#39;re in love with, not yourself.&amp;quot; So many married couples love themselves more than they love their partner.     Every day say to her or him, &amp;quot;I love you.&amp;quot; And put meaning from the heart into those words. &lt;/td&gt;  &lt;td align=&quot;right&quot;&gt;    &lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;hr size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</description></item></channel></rss>