Let's Thank Our Vets......all of them (top, physician, to stay)

[KickAssArmyChick]

I am going to thank my grandfather who fought in the Korean War as well as his brother. They were US citizens but also Canadian citizens and had the option to opt out of serving as they were living in Canada. But they moved back to the US in order to serve the country.

I am also going to thank my boyfriend who was in the Army for 10 years. I am proud of him!

And thanks to all of the people I served with, those who never made it home alive, and those who are still fighting for this country.

[Poncho_NM]

U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Erick Martinez, a military dog handler, carries his K-9 Argo II over his shoulder at Hill
Air Force Base, Utah, March 4, 2011. This training exercise was crucial to build trust, loyalty, and teamwork between
Martinez and Argo who had only been working together for two months. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class
Allen Stokes.

[Poncho_NM]

Corporal Mary Warren, a water support technician with Combat Logistics Battalion 5, treats a young Afghan girl’s
burns during a medical engagement at the Aynak School in Afghanistan, July 24, 2010. Warren, who is combat
lifesaver certified, helped corpsmen by assisting in treatment and acting as a liaison for female patients. Corpsmen
and Marines partnered with Afghan physician Doctor Abdul Bari to treat more than 60 local Afghans during the
three-hour event..
100724-M-1558F-163

[Poncho_NM]

Afghan Boy Scouts perform a flag lowering ceremony during their weekly troop meeting while U.S. Army Captain
Glenn Battschinger, Provincial Reconstruction Team Nangarhar Civil Affairs Team Lead and the troop's Scout Master,
U.S. Air Force 1st Lieutenant Jason Baker, PRT physician's assistant, and U.S. Air Force Captain Mary Danner-Jones,
PRT Public Affairs officer take part at Forward Operating Base Finley Shields, Jalalabad, Afghanistan, July 31, 2010.
100731-F-5281B-004

[Poncho_NM]

U.S. service members recite the oath to become citizens during a naturalization ceremony at the Al Faw Palace in
Baghdad, Iraq, July 4, 2009. DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Edwin L Wriston, U.S. Navy.
090704-N-9797W-031

[Poncho_NM]

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Paul Tangen, right, with the 119th Wing, North Dakota Air National Guard, hugs
a resident of the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon, North Dakota, December 15, 2010, during the annual
Christmas party at the home. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sergeant David H. Lipp.
101215-F-0681L-158

[Poncho_NM]

PACIFIC OCEAN, September 21st, 2010. A BQM-74E drone launches from the flight deck of the Arleigh Burke-class
guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82) during a missile exercise to provide defense training for U.S. Marine
Corps F/A-18 pilots. Lassen is assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 and is forward-deployed to Yokosuka,
Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Cryptologic Technician 1st Class Carl T. Jacobson.
100921-N-2745J-004




From The Northrop Grumman Web Site:

The BQM-74E is a turbojet-powered aerial target with high performance capabilities. While emulation of enemy
anti-ship cruise missiles is the primary mission; others include simulation of aircraft for training naval aviators in
air-to-air combat and support of the test and evaluation of new weapon systems. The BQM-74E and its ground support
system are highly portable. This attribute enables shipboard operations in support of deployed naval combatants where
maximum flexibility and rapid turnaround are required.



Airframe and Payloads:
The BQM-74E can carry a variety of internal and wing tip-mounted payloads in support of mission requirements.
Payloads include passive and active radar augmentation, infrared (IR) flares, electronic countermeasures (ECM),
seeker simulators, scoring, IFF, and dual wing tip-mounted tow bodies. The Integrated Avionics Unit, with its integral
Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), Air Data Computer, and Global Position System (GPS), provides a highly accurate
navigation solution. Recently incorporated Low Altitude Control Enhancement (LACE II) software allows the vehicle to
perform complex, programmable, 3-dimensional maneuvers and operate down to altitudes of 7 feet.

Command and Control:
The BQM-74E can be used with multiple command and control systems, including the Integrated Target Control System
(ITCS), Multiple Aircraft GPS Integrated Command Control (MAGIC2), Vega, and System for Naval Target Control
(SNTC). It can be employed in either a manual mode or a pre-programmed (hands off) mode.



Exceptional Performance:
Since 1968, the MQM/BQM-74 series of aerial targets has been the workhorse of the Navy's subsonic aerial target
inventory. Due to its exceptional performance and mission reliability, the BQM-74E has provided over 80 percent of all
U.S. Navy target presentations.

[Poncho_NM]

Corporal Brandon Shirley, a loadmaster with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), shakes hands with an evacuee
leaving a KC-130J Hercules after arriving in Cairo, Egypt, March 5, 2011. The 26th MEU was directed by the
Department of Defense to help evacuate Egyptians, who fled to the Tunisian border from Libya, get back to Egypt.
Official USMC Photo by Corporal Tammy K. Hineline.
110305-M-2275H-729

[Poncho_NM]

U.S. Coast Guard Seaman Rebekah Runner takes a moment to pose after some play time with three little girls from
the Freetown Christian Faith Rescue Orphanage in Freetown, Sierra Leone, August 9, 2010. Runner and other crew
members from the Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk spent the day building a kitchen and repairing a shower at the
orphanage. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Victoria Bonk.
hires_100809-G-1124B-025

[Poncho_NM]

Class 284 participates in Hell Week at the Naval Special Warfare Center, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, in San
Diego, California, August 13, 2010. Defense Department photo by Cherie Cullen..
100813-D-7203C-038.JPG