VOW RENEWAL: Military theme at Calafia Bluff in San Clemente, CA

CONGRATULATIONS: Megan and Shane!!

(And of course, also to their three lovely children, Shayna, Hunter and Travis...)

i had the honour and privilege to officiate the vow renewal ceremony for this special couple. The bride had wanted this ceremony to celebrate their marriage, which, today, is "better than ever" after ten and a half years. The husband, who is on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, wore his alpha blouse /uniform, which is entirely different from the usual dress blues. The ceremony took place high atop a bluff overlooking Calafia Beach, a part of San Clemente State Beach with a small group of family and friends in attendance. Professional photography by MODERN EYE.

venus, officant and Life-Cycle Celebrant® at A Non-Denominational Ceremony

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Title: U.S. Armed Forces Honor President Bush For His Service With An Award.

God bless the U.S. Military, the last hope for the world.

I have a love hate political relationship with President Bush. But on the matter of national defense and the war on terror, we do not differ.

Let me say just one thing about the Iraq war. The goals of the war and the exit strategy have never changed. The goal is and has always been to create a free and independent democracy in the Middle East so as to help spread peace throughout the region. The exit strategy is and has always been, they stand up and then we stand down. Nothing has ever changed except the will of the American people to see something of great difficulty through to the end.
Jbranstetter04


Defense Leaders Laud Bush at Farewell Ceremony
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2009 Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, today praised President George W. Bush as a patriot who has championed the nation's men and women in uniform while standing up to terrorists who threaten the United States.
The defense leaders paid tribute to the president during an armed forces farewell ceremony at Fort Myer, Va.

Gates called Bush a visionary who recognized before becoming president the threat terrorists and other unconventional threats posed, and that the military was still structured to confront Cold War-era conventional threats.

But even more so, Gates said, Bush had the fortitude to confront terrorists head-on when they attacked the United States just months after he took office, as he propelled a historic transformation of the U.S. military.

The result is an American military that has become more agile, lethal and prepared to deal with the full spectrum of 21st century conflict, Gates said. He noted that the military has become a force dramatically more deployable and expeditionary than when he last served in government 15 years ago.

Gates cited just a few of the historic changes that have taken place under Bushs leadership:

-- The Army carried out its most significant restructuring in more than two generations, moving from a division-based to a modular, brigade-based force.

-- The Navys Fleet Response Plan nearly doubled the number of strike carrier groups that can be surged in the first weeks of a crisis.

-- Special operations forces have seen vast increases in budget, personnel, authorities and capabilities critical to the campaign against terrorism worldwide.

-- The number of unmanned aerial vehicles has grown some 40-fold to more than 6,000.

-- The military has undergone a genuine revolution in its ability to fuse intelligence and operations.

-- Cold War-era bases in Germany, South Korea and Japan have been modernized and sized to better reflect the security requirements of this century.

-- New authorities and programs enable the military to build the capacity of allies and partners in cooperation with civilian agencies and organizations.

Gates noted that in the midst of this transformation, Bush showed strength as he led the military through two major conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and a broader struggle against terrorist networks around the globe.

He has not flinched when faced with difficult wartime decisions, including the momentous decision two years ago to send more troops into Iraq and revamp our strategy there, Gates said.

Mullen joined Gates in thanking Bush for leading the U.S. military at a critical time in the countrys history.

After this nation was attacked by a rising evil, the same evil which later murdered many others in places like London, Madrid, Islamabad and Mumbai, you quickly led us from the grip of fear to a serenity of purpose and unity of action, he said.

Mullen called that serenity well beyond our dreams on Sept. 12, [2001] when all thought further attack was not only likely, but gravely imminent.

He credited Bush for having the vision to establish a new national security strategy to reach Americas enemies overseas so they could not revisit U.S. soil.

We sent our forces to hills and caves, alongside tribesmen on horseback, to root them out and hunt them down, he said. We liberated Iraq from tyranny, now on the road to renewal. And we are shifting our focus to Afghanistan.

Through these operations, Mullen told Bush, we felt your unmatched confidence in us, which only made us better.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52561

Title: US Tries to Match its Military Drive in Afghanistan with a Socio-economic Development Component

As Afghans wait for results from last Thursday's disputed presidential and provincial election, the Obama administration is pressing for non-military efforts that would strengthen the new government. The civilian campaign is aimed at providing social stability and economic opportunities for the Afghan people who appear to be losing faith in a government that has been increasingly challenged by the Taliban. VOA's Ravi Khanna reports the Special U.S. Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, has gathered a special team for the civilian drive.