MichaelMoore.com : Salem soldier laid to rest

July 2nd, 2009 5:49 pm
Dan Choi ordered out of US military for announcing his homosexuality

By Catherine Philp / London Times

An Iraq war veteran has been ordered out of the US military after publicly announcing his homosexuality in a direct challenge to the army’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Lieutenant Dan Choi, who speaks fluent Arabic, outed himself in March in the military journal Army Times and on national television at the launch of Knights Out, an association representing gay and lesbian graduates of West Point military academy.

He said that his declaration was a protest against a policy that forced soldiers to lie in order to serve their country. “It’s an immoral code that goes against every single thing we were ever taught at West Point with our honour code,” he said.

As the New York National Guard weighed his fate, Lieutenant Choi, 28, spoke out at more gay rights events, appearing most recently as a celebrity grand marshal in Sunday’s Gay Pride march in San Francisco.

On Tuesday a military board recommended that he should no longer be recognised as an officer, a decision that must be finally approved by superiors but which amounts to an effective discharge.

Lieutenant Choi vowed to fight the decision, saying that it amounted to firing him “for nothing more than telling the truth about who I am”. He added: “I’m a leader. A setback is an opportunity to keep fighting, and I’m going to do that through my actions.”

His departure will be a significant loss for the military. At West Point he majored in Arabic language and environmental engineering, skills that he put to use during a 15-month tour of Iraq beginning in 2006.

He led combat patrols in the Triangle of Death and served as a translator and teacher of Arabic to troops. He used his engineering skills in helping to rebuild schools and hospitals.

July 2nd, 2009 3:20 pm
U.S. soldier sold to Afghan militant clan, official says

From Barbara Starr

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The American soldier abducted in southeastern Afghanistan is now being held by a notorious militant clan, a senior U.S. military official said.

This soldier and three Afghan soldiers were captured by low-level militants and then quickly "sold" to the clan and network led by warlord Siraj Haqqani -- believed to be deeply involved in the action.

The Haqqanis -- who operate on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and are well known to the U.S. military -- are assembling shuras, or local councils of leaders, to talk and try to "legitimize" what they have done, the official said.

U.S., Afghan and Pakistani troops are sealing off the area and also are talking to tribal chiefs, village elders and leaders.

They are telling them to "do the right thing and solve this," the official said.

The U.S. military is telling people not to let Haqqani operatives move through their area and to find the American and return him. The military wants to make sure there is "no shelter" for the militants holding him.

"We want to make sure there is no place to hide," the official said.

The soldier, missing since Tuesday, did apparently leave his small outpost on his own with no apparent means of defending himself, and the U.S. military believes a video of him is forthcoming.

The Taliban earlier claimed responsibility for the abduction. The U.S. soldier was kidnapped along with three Afghan soldiers, Taliban commander Mulvi Sangeen said.

The U.S. soldier visited a military post in the Yousaf Khel district in the Paktika province and got drunk, Sangeen said. He was ambushed while returning to his car and was taken to a safe place, Sangeen said.

CNN could not independently verify Sangeen's claims.

A source with the U.S. military denied the claim that the soldier was drunk.

"The Taliban are known for lying and what they are claiming are not true," the source said.

The soldier's family has been informed, the military said.

July 2nd, 2009 3:07 pm
Salem soldier laid to rest

By Derrick Perkins / Salem Observer

Family and friends of Army Staff Sgt. Edmond L. Lo gathered to say goodbye before laying to rest the soldier described by those who knew him as a “true American hero.”

On Saturday, June 27, members of the community reached out to offer support to the family of the third Salem serviceman killed in Iraq since 2006. Residents waited at street corners and waved flags as the motorcade carrying Lo’s casket made its way to Pine Grove Cemetery in Salem.

Lo, 23, died on June 13 in Iraq after the bomb he was defusing detonated. A 2004 graduate of the Salem High School, Lo was serving with the U.S. Army’s 797th Ordnance Company, 79th Battalion, based at Fort Hood, Texas.

Homeowners stood in their driveways, some with hands and hats pressed over their hearts, as the procession passed.

Led through the center of town with local and state police escorts as well as Patriot Guard Riders, the motorcade passed through the parking lot of the high school where participants in Saturday’s Relay for Life lined the street. Both the Department of Public Works and the Fire Department turned out as well, waving flags from their vehicles parked along Geremonty Drive.

Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Puzzo, an aerospace instructor at Salem High School, recalled Lo as a quiet and competent leader from his days in the Junior ROTC program at the June 27 ceremony celebrating the fallen soldier’s life.

“On that fateful day two weeks ago, a proud American gave his life for his country,” Puzzo said during his eulogy for Lo. “It was a selfless act of courage that will forever make him a hero, a legitimate hero. “On the drill floor he would dedicate himself to helping one cadet with commitment and selflessness. That was the Cadet Lo I remember, and I have no doubt that was Staff Sgt. Lo,” he added.

A 2004 graduate of the high school, Lo commanded the color guard, drill team and operations squadron during his time in the ROTC program. At the calling hours Friday, June 26, fellow cadets, past and present, remembered him as a strong leader willing to do anything to reach out and help someone else.

“I was very good friends with him ... There are so many memories, but I can’t seem to remember one. It’s overwhelming,” said Dan King, a Marine and a 2003 graduate of both Salem High School and the ROTC program.

“He wanted to serve and that’s what he did,” said Army Specialist Mike Connors on Friday at the Douglas and Johnson Funeral Home on Main Street. “He had scholarship options and he turned them down.

Connors, who graduated from Salem High School in 2005, remembered Lo as a strong leader and bright young man from their days together in the Junior Air Force ROTC program. A year younger than Lo, Connors described looking up to him as a leader and a friend.

“He was a big part of the program. He was always early. He would come by my house at 5:30 in the morning to pick me up for practice before school,” Connors said. “He always knew what to do and did it right.”

Members of the program’s color guard turned out to salute Lo during Saturday’s services, standing alongside the U.S. Army honor guard as his casket arrived.

U.S. Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Snow, Lo’s division commander, said he regretted not knowing Lo personally, but praised him as one of the very best of the men and women in the armed forces.

“Ed was doing something he wanted to do, something he believed in ... As tragic as this loss is, I gain some solace in knowing that Ed was doing something he loved around those who loved him. His sacrifice will not be forgotten,” Snow said. “He dedicated his life to our protection. The land that was once called the last, best hope for mankind was built upon sacrifices like his.”

Gov. John Lynch – who gave his sympathies to the family at Friday night’s service along with Sen. Judd Gregg – also spoke, describing Lo as an articulate and dependable young man. On Friday, Lynch directed flags to be flown at half-staff across the state in honor of Lo.

“News of Edmond’s sacrifice has hit this community very hard. Edmond Lo joins a list of heroes from this town,” Lynch said, telling the family that “Salem and New Hampshire are here for you.”

As mourners drifted away from Lo’s gravesite in the veteran’s section of the Pine Grove cemetery, his older brother Raymond said the community and the military had been very supportive of his family, especially his parents. He said the services, which included a 21- gun salute and a rendition of “Taps” by members of the high school band, had been very nice.

“I thought it was very well done,” he said. “I thought it was done very honorably.”

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