Posted in the Obituaries section of my local paper. Should have been posted to the front page, in my not-so-humble opinion!

Richfield, Minn. (AP)–

Charles W. Lindberg, one of the Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 86.

Lindberg died Sunday at Fairview Southdale hospital in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, said John Pose, director of the Morris Nilsen Funeral Home in Richfield, which is handling Lindberg’s funeral.

Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous Associated Press photograph by Joe Rosenthal, that raised the first flag as U.S. forces fought to take the Japanese island.

On Feb. 23, 1945, Lindberg fired his flame thrower into pillboxes at the base of Mount Suribachi and joined five Marines fighting their way to the top. He was awarded the Silver Star for bravery.

“Two of our men found this big, long pipe there,” he said in 2003. “We tied the flag to it, took it to the highest spot we could find and we raised it.”

“Down below, the troops started to cheer, the ship’s whistles went off, it was just something that you would never forget,” he said. “It didn’t last too long, because the enemy started coming out of the caves.”

The moment was captured by Sgt. Lou Lowery, a photographer from the Marine Corps’ Leatherneck magazine. It was the first time a foreign flag flew on Japanese soil, according to the book “Flags of Our Fathers,” by James Bradley with Ron Powers.

The Houston Chronicle adds:

Three of the men in the first raising never saw their photos. They were among the more than 6,800 U.S. servicemen killed in the five-week battle for the island.

By Lindberg’s account, his commander ordered the first flag replaced and safeguarded because he worried someone would take it as a souvenir. Lindberg was back in combat when six men raised the second, larger flag about four hours later.

Rosenthal’s photo of the second flag-raising became one of the most enduring images of the war and the model for the U.S. Marine Corps memorial in Washington.

Rosenthal, who died last year, always denied accusations that he staged the photo, and he never claimed it depicted the first raising of a flag over the island.

This was posted at CCN today. Also including links to some others of note:

New Clark Gear up!

Submitted by kaflinn on June 27, 2007 - 3:18pm.

For some reason I spent yesterday making new Clark gear, and updating some other stuff. The mark-up on each item is $2. So when they send me a check, I write one to our favorite four star.

By the way…if you have a design you made and would like to add for the above purpose - let me know and I’ll happily add it. Or if you want me to make you one, happy to do that too.

Below are some examples, and the links to the storefront sections. Happy buying!

Since I last updated the shops, they have added many more styles of shirts and colors too. The caps now come in both white and khaki and are much better quality than they used to be. (I just order one of each of these caps!) And of course - there are buttons, magnets, bumperstickers galore - including some Clark designs not shown here.

If you want something completely a-political, there’s always this:

(cue shameless plug for other shop)

There are hundreds of such shops on CafePress, most of which offer gear with “2008″ or “2004″ attached, so you have to hunt around a bit if you want something to wear that will survive a specific election cycle.

This is one of my favorites;

So is this one for Wes Clark’s PAC:

The WesPAC shop is unofficial and has some terrific designs. Then there is also the gear some friends of mine did at The DemStore:

and . It never ceases to amaze me what volunteers can accomplish! Way to go!!

Speak out now!

Joe Lieberman is at it again

After wrongly supporting George W. Bush's strategic blunder of attacking Iraq, and continuing to support Bush's failed policies after the invasion, Senator Joe Lieberman made irresponsible comments this weekend regarding military action against Iran.

On CBS's Face the Nation, Lieberman said, "If [the Iranians] don't play by the rules, we've got to use our force, and to me, that would include taking military action to stop them from doing what they're doing."

This type of "tough-talk" by the Bush Administration and folks like Senator Joe Lieberman is why VoteVets.org and I collaborated to create StopIranWar.com, calling for heavy diplomatic, economic, and political action to discourage the acquisition of nuclear capabilities by the Iranian government.

Over 40,000 people have signed our petition to President Bush, urging him to work with our allies and use every diplomatic, political, and economic option at our disposal to deal with Iran. Add your name to the petition today!

StopIranWar.com.

Senator Lieberman's saber rattling does nothing to help dissuade Iran from aiding Shia militias in Iraq, or trying to obtain nuclear capabilities. In fact, it's highly irresponsible and counter-productive, and I urge him to stop.

This kind of rhetoric is irresponsible and only plays into the hands of President Ahmadinejad, and those who seek an excuse for military action. What we need now is full-fledged engagement with Iran. We should be striving to bridge the gulf of almost 30 years of hostility and only when all else fails should there be any consideration of other options. The Iranians are very much aware of US military capabilities. They don't need Joe Lieberman to remind them that we are the militarily dominant power in the world today.

Only someone who never wore the uniform or thought seriously about national security would make threats at this point. What our soldiers need is responsible strategy, not a further escalation of tensions in the region. Senator Lieberman must act more responsibly and tone down his threat machine.

We cannot let people like Joe Lieberman dictate the terms of this debate.

Sign the petition to President Bush today!

StopIranWar.com

Thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

read more

As of today, this section - formerly known as Observations, - is permanently renamed in honor of Buzz Rainer. For the past 28 years it’s been my privilege to know him as one of the best teachers I’ve ever seen, ever had, but more importantly, as a wonderful friend I’ll miss more than I can say.

For all who knew him - this room is open to all who wish to raise a glass to him. Proper English required. Coat and tie are optional, cashmere v-necks welcomed.

Will post more on Buzz later. Not today. Maybe tonight. Need to go through photos and find more.

More is posted here too: www.buzzrainermemorial.com

There is also a link to an online GuestBook.

Buzz - 1982.  Either Tonee took this or I did, for the 1983 Yearbook…