[size=14pt]My stomach was torn open. . .[/size]
[size=14pt]so I tucked my shirt in and kept shooting[/size]:
Amazing stories of the selfless heroes of Afghanistan


[list]
They all made a pact before they went to war.
Whatever happened to them in Afghanistan no one - dead or alive - would be left behind.
One night in Helmand Province, that pledge was put to the test.

In a terrifying split second, the close-knit group from one of the Army's most battle-scarred units came under fire from a hail of Taliban bullets and rocket-powered grenades.

Four men were hit and several others temporarily blinded by phosphorus. Their screams of pain cut through the darkness as the ambushed platoon was pinned down by gunfire from two sides.

But the men of 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment knew precisely what they had to do.

And today the extraordinary heroism which allowed the young soldiers to keep to their pledge at any cost can be revealed as they are awarded some of the highest military honours.

The men repeatedly braved enemy fire to rescue their injured and fatally wounded comrades from the hands of the Taliban.

Private Luke Cole, 22, carried on fighting after half his thigh bone was blown away.
When another bullet ripped open his stomach, he simply tucked his shirt in tighter "to hold everything in" - and carried on keeping the enemy at bay until back-up arrived.

Sergeant Craig Brelsford, 25, continued to command his men long after he was critically wounded - and right up to the moment he died.

In a singularly selfless act, he ran to put his body between the enemy and his wounded comrades.
It protected them from Taliban gunfire, but cost him his life.

And the 25-year-old platoon commander, Lieutenant Simon Cupples, led a rescue party into the killing zone to carry the injured to safety and recover the dead - again and again and again.

Their astonishing courage - and that of scores of other British servicemen and women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq - is marked today with a raft of 184 awards.

They include the biggest batch of medals since fighting began in Afghanistan nearly seven years ago - a reflection not just of the ferocity of the conflict, but of the conspicuous bravery of British troops
[/list]
source: Mail Online

hey pilgrim,

nice heroics there!there's no limiting what can be achieved through selflessness.


sister
you are now the obvious chemo-attractant for the people who feel a loss for islam with your salvation.

pls i think we can allow them to keep coming, at least we know all they'll say, nothing new,just the same rehashed lines.

come on its more obvious than ever before that islam doesnt have any message for humans.

look at it, 8 out of every 10 islamic posts here preach what jesus is not and not what islam has to offer,its my sincere belief that if these folks have anything for humans, they'll preach it.The continous reference to chritianity is an attestation of how many thoughts about jesus enters the heart of the posters daily,
jesus is indeed lord!!!

@reindeer,

reindeer:

nice heroics there!there's no limiting what can be achieved through selflessness.

Very true.

reindeer:

sister
you are now the obvious chemo-attractant for the people who feel a loss for islam with your salvation.

Lol, I would never have thought so in so many decades; although I should be grateful that the people who have become my friends have taught me more than I could ever realise. I learn everyday - and what is surprising to me is the experience of my being set free from a life I never imagined could let me breathe freedom and love. I am truly thankful.

reindeer:

please i think we can allow them to keep coming, at least we know all they'll say, nothing new,just the same rehashed lines.

You're right - as they keep coming, it is only the Lord Himself that is able to touch their lives.

reindeer:

look at it, 8 out of every 10 islamic posts here preach what jesus is not and not what islam has to offer,its my sincere belief that if these folks have anything for humans, they'll preach it.The continous reference to chritianity is an attestation of how many thoughts about jesus enters the heart of the posters daily,
jesus is indeed lord!!!

You are very observant - and it's true. If one doesn't need Jesus, can they resist mentioning Him at all (even when most mentions made about Him are derisive)? Jesus is Lord!

Struggling dad hands over large cash find . . .

So, what's religious about this story?

They all made a pact before they went to war.
Whatever happened to them in Afghanistan no one - dead or alive - would be left behind.
One night in Helmand Province, that pledge was put to the test. . .

Interesting. But the Israelis do this all the time, even exchanging live prisoners for the remains of their soldiers. What's more inviting is how these events manage to find a place under the religious section, and what lessons are being encouraged. What's a true Christian doing fighting George Bush's war

.

Hi All,

Here's another one someone teased me with a few minutes ago - asking: "Can we still find people like this"? Well, you read the story and see if you can give a benign nod with a smile. . . as I did!  Enjoy.

[list][size=14pt]Third win for young Countdown champ[/size][/list]

[list][/list]

[list]One of Countdown's youngest competitors has continued his run of form, winning his third show in a row.

Eleven-year-old Kai Laddiman beat his latest challenger - taxi driver Bill Franklin - by a comfortable 95 points to 61.

And the schoolboy, from Broad Oak in East Sussex, is proving to be a king of the conundrums.

He took just four seconds to solve the puzzle, turning the letters LORNASBUM into SUBNORMAL.

Kai, who has to sit on a pile of cushions during filming so he can be seen by the cameras, has already obtained a B grade in AS level maths.

He said he learned the alphabet and how to count from the show, which he has been watching since he was two.

After his third win the young brain box grinned happily.

Mr Franklin, 49, from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, looked sheepish in defeat.

The Channel 4 word game has attracted a stream of youthful competitors in recent years.

In 1992, eight-year-old James Squires won, and in 2005, Tanmay Dixit won in two shows at the age of eight. In 2006, 14-year-old Conor Travers became the youngest series champion.[/list]

[list]source: Yahoo News[/list]

Ordinary Folks Around Us

The people to be celebrated today are the ordinary folks we often take for granted. How often do we stop to think about what would happen if these folks were not there to help our communities in the first place – or if no one would step into their shoes to offer their services?

Yes, I’m talking about celebrating the people we meet everyday –

     The Bus/Train drivers

     The Pilots

     The Police – men and women like other civilians

     The Refuse collectors

     The Newspaper agents

      Librarians

. . . these people do their simple things in extra ordinary ways; because without them, our communities would be quite difficult to manage.

Bus Driver Saves Baby from Devil Dog

By STAFF REPORTER
Published: 09 Oct 2008
_____________________________________________________________

A HERO bus driver who saved a baby from the jaws of a devil dog said today
he didn't stop to think – he just did it. National Express driver Abdul Khan, 43,
saved the life of infant Amir Santos who was dragged 60 yards by the ferocious
beast named Asbo.

A group of men rushed to help the 20-month-old baby boy, who was ripped out
of his mum Samsam's arms. Neighbours and Abdul tried to drive the bull terrier-
type dog away by hitting it with a fire extinguisher and sticks.

Abdul said: “I am a parent myself so I didn’t stop to think about it. My colleagues
backed me up too. I am just glad the child is OK.”

The dog attacked four people yesterday in Mitcham, south London, and was
later caught and shot by armed police.

Young Amir suffered leg injuries during the attack and was discharged from
hospital last night. Amir’s dad Edvaldo, 25, said the tot was tossed “like a rag
doll” for ten minutes near their home in Mitcham. He said: “My son is lucky
to be alive.”

Two other people – including another National Express worker – were also
injured in quick succession by the dog. A man in his 40s suffered facial injuries,
and has now been discharged from hospital, while a woman in her 50s is still
being treated for leg injuries.

The dog’s female owner, aged 29, was arrested for having a dog “dangerously
out of control”. She was later bailed.
_____________________________________________________________

source: The SUN News

>snip<

Kai, 11, Takes Eighth Countdown Win

Press Assoc. - Monday, October 13 05:12 pm
______________________________________________________________________



An 11-year-old boy has became the youngest winner of Countdown's "Octochamp" title
in 20 years. Kai Laddiman from Broad Oak, East Sussex, beat Richard Pascoe, a market
research manager from Leeds, by 105 points to 55.

This was his eighth win in a row, earning him the game show's Octochamp crown and
making him the second youngest Octochamp in the programme's 26-year history.

The record-holder is Allan Saldanha, who became an Octochamp in 1988 at the age of 10.

Kai trounced his opponent after spotting the nine-letter word "thirteens" in the last
round. He then took six seconds to solve the conundrum, rearranging the anagram
"nicejoint" to form the word "injection."

He grinned happily, sighed with relief and gave a big thumbs up after winning.

He said: "It felt brilliant to win, it was so amazing. I wasn't expecting to go that far.
I thought I could but I didn't think I would." His mother Naomi Laddiman said
she was "very proud" of her son.

Kai's victory propelled him to the number two position on the series leader board
and earnt him a place in the series final in December.

The series winner will receive a limited edition leather-bound dictionary and
encyclopaedia set, which may be taller than Kai if all the volumes were stacked on
top of each other.

______________________________________________________________________


source: Yahoo News

pilgrim.1:

@Nimshi,

Sometimes when people are so driven in their angst against religion and other people, they fail to see the basic issues of life. I'm surprised you of all people have failed to see the very first highlight of this thread that I have stated repeatedly:

I'm sorry to disappoint you if you're always looking for "religion" in everything. That's not the way to live; and anyone can see that for people who might be so driven with their anti-religious outlook, I have carefully refrained from posting news based on religion! Asking "what's religious about this" is to misread issues. You may find this thread on the religion section - it is not the only thread that does not major on the big "R".

Edit:

No disappointment, dearie. This isn't much long too far from your regular. There's no looking for religion in everything; the basic question of why such a topic should be placed under the religion question remains unanswered. In your religiously inspired rant, you forgot to consider the possibility that there's something other than what you thought. I don't monitor what you post that I'll be able to see what you do and don't post about or have avoided due to earth shatteringly important events on this board, with you, of course, at the centre of that little universe.

Nimshi, please take the time to have a balance in life. Besides, the stories reposted in my entries were not written by pilgrim.1 - that's why I often leave the links so anyone could go read them for themselves. They are not occurences I made up for anyone to start attacking or finding holes in them to force a query upon. Anyone who wishes to do so should contact the sources directly and fight all they want with them. I do wish that after they're done, they would help us see their objectives in being so driven that they often miss the very first line in issues.

The foolishness of the first sentence aside, how could you possibly know anything about "balance" and "life" wrt "Nimshi"? Your take there is beyond the pale. And, it's not always about you, traveller. No, the world, not even this little board, is about. All I deed was respond to posts I thought merited some discussion for any who would care, and responded to them; that, you may now wish to notice, is why those references did not have the names of their original posters; the people don't matter; it's about the susbstance.

I don't care of your experiences are made up or not; why should that matter? It's pointless to begin an argument whether anything anyone posts on these pages are factual; fact or fiction, it don't matter. And my posts weren't attacks; perhaps you saw them with the eyes of a victim; that can't be my fault. You're the one who needs to take a step back, look at things from a renewed/fresh perspective and perhaps you would be inspired to notice the point of the questions.

It's not about you; no, you're not the centre of this little universe. And, your severely unqualified to offer any opinion about "balance", "life", or experiences; except, of course, those that're unique to you; whether they're true or not.

Cheers.

Cheers back.