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Military Tattoos – Showing Your Pride And Patriotism

Admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:00:25 +0000

Did you know that origins of military tattoos can be traced way back into the Roman age? The Navy introduced tattoos into the general U.S. military culture in the early 1900s. These days, tattoos are seen throughout the major branches of service in the U.S. military and often serve as a reminder of those lost, dates of service, and other recognitions. Enjoy the graphic below and please share it with your friends. Thanks!

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Free Thanksgiving Dinner for 50 Military Families in 50 States

Craig Walton — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:59:47 +0000

Oct. 31, 2011, Lehi, UT- This Thanksgiving LowVARates.com is giving away 50 free Thanksgiving Dinners to deserving military families in all 50 states. The dinners will be donated and delivered to the families in each individual state.

The contest is intended to help military families in need that otherwise would not receive a nice Thanksgiving dinner for their family.

The employees of LowVARates.com have stepped up and decided to donate a portion of their paycheck to help these families receive a Thanksgiving Dinner. Many employees have offered very generous donations to ensure this contest and promotion will be a success.

The winner of the giveaway in each state will receive a free family dinner on Thanksgiving Day November 24, 2011. LowVARates.com will arrange the full details with the winning family and ensure they are completely compensated for their Thanksgiving feast.

Owner of LowVARates.com, Eric Kandell, hopes the contest will give deserving military families across the nation a nice Thanksgiving dinner.

“We are so thankful for the service our troops give that we want to give back to 50 military families nationwide,” Kandell said. “Everybody deserves a Thanksgiving feast and we want to make that a reality for many of our military families in need.”

Many military families spend holidays, like Thanksgiving, with a family member deployed on military service. This can make the holiday season a particularly tough time to have a loved one away from home. Thousands of troops are currently serving deployments nationwide. These families are great to consider and nominate for the Thanksgiving Dinner contest.

“It is really hard to have a loved one away during the holidays,” Kandell said. “There are a lot of military families that could use a free thanksgiving dinner and we just need our fan base to help us find those families.”

The contest is running through Thanksgiving Day and many Face book and Twitter posts will keep company fans up to date on where LowVARates.com needs help. LowVARates.com is now accepting nominations for military families in need.

Families can nominate themselves or another military family in need. We need one military family from all 50 states. To submit an entry for the contest, please submit a 100-300 word essay to PR@LowVARates.com and tell us why the military family should be selected.

Please include the following information:

1) Your Name and name of nominated Family (You can submit your own family or another family in need)

2) State the nominated family lives in

3) Number of people in the family

4) Contact Information (Phone # or Email)

5) 100-300 word essay

“If we can just help one military family have a happy Thanksgiving that will be worth it,” Kandell said. “This will definitely be the largest and most elaborate contest we have ever run, but we feel it will be well worth the time and effort.”

The family must be associated or enlisted with the military or they will not qualify for the prize. All entries must be submitted by November 18^th, 2011 to enter the giveaway. LowVARates.com will pay for dinner for up to 8 individuals in the family. Any number more than 8 will not be compensated by LowVARates.com.

Memorable Militaries From The Movies

Admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:00:40 +0000

There are a lot of memorable make-believe militaries from the movies, but the ones we featured below are just some our favorites around here. Did you know that Star Fleet began with only a few dozen ships, but eventually grew to over 4,000 ships? Along with this fact, learn what movie army was also the largest from the graphic below. Let us know your favorite military from the movies by commenting!

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Nostalgic Military Ads from Long Ago

Admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:00:32 +0000

It’s rather interesting to compare the difference between modern vs. past opinions on supporting war efforts – what use to be patriotic is now taboo. Below is a gallery of 15 vintage war posters from WWI and WWII, some funny and some serious, but all equipped with a heavy dose of patriotic nostalgia.

1. I Want You

Although there have been many variations of an assertive Uncle Sam saying, I want you, this campaign has been a steady go-to across the years for military recruitment. After all, what young perspective army recruit could ever say no to such an intimidating stare?

IMG SRC: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/tlc0090.jpg

2. We Can Do It

Before there was Nike’s Just Do It there was Rosie the Riveter’s We Can Do It. Arguably the most popular of all wartime schwag, this WWII campaign was created as a result of the women being asked to replace the men in the factory lines and therefore, stood as a symbol of feminine support for the troops.

IMG SRC: http://www.crazywebsite.com/Free-Galleries-01/USA_Patriotic/Pictures_WWII_Posters_LG/Vintage_WWII_Patriotic_Posters_United_States_America-4LG.jpg

3. Can All You Can

Created around 1943 in the heart of WWII, this Can All You Can campaign was a food conservation and preparedness movement, as well as, an effort to encourage housewives to be productive yet frugal.

IMG SRC: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CiLNu129D5Q/TNmKwnk-YGI/AAAAAAAACGE/2XmIkZdf05w/s1600/American+Legion44.jpg

4. She Wants You … for the Navy

No matter the generation, even in times of war, there’s no doubt in the world of advertising that sex sells. In this case, I pretty young woman is used to lure men into signing up for the Navy, in the hopes that a beauty of this caliber is waiting for them at their next shore leave.

IMG SRC: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Dm7MjGjBsZg/SwZQyUChu4I/AAAAAAAAAK8/m2Y2MkDIASI/s1600/i-want-you-for-the-navy.jpg

5. Gee … I Wish I Were a Man

While the poster above relies on sexual appeal, this war poster seems to lean on sexual confusion to recruit for the U.S. Navy. While this is a bizarre attempt from top to bottom, we suppose the purpose was to subliminally appeal to the insecure boys that wanted to prove that they are, in fact, manly men.

IMG SRC: http://americanhistorya.yolasite.com/resources/vintage-war-propaganda-posters171.jpg

6. Ready … Join U.S. Marines

This poster, however, leaves no room for error; if you join the U.S. Marines, you’re clearly a manly man. The only question we have is, how did they know what Aaron Eckhart would look like if he wasn’t even born yet?

IMG SRC: http://www.airforcetimes.com/xml/news/2009/03/lifelines_recruiting_posters_031609w/031609LL_posters4_800.JPG

7. If We Produce Enough of These…

A call to action; if the government can create more fighter planes to combat the enemy, there would be less casualties amongst the infantry. It may be a bit of a scare tactic, but the reasoning is sound.

IMG SRC: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CiLNu129D5Q/TNmJRP0VHeI/AAAAAAAACFA/UqLJ_yz3W4w/s1600/American+Legion27.jpg

8. Doing Our Bit … or We’re Slackers!

If you weren’t physically fighting in the war, the government put extreme pressure on the stay-at-homes to invest in war bonds, as their contribution. Sure enough, if an angry Uncle Sam was charging at us full steam and calling us Slackers, we’d do our bit.

IMG SRC: http://file.vintageadbrowser.com/l-akfc5v757kkawc.jpg

9. Hit the Nazis

In its 5th round of funding, we see the United States government pin the U.S. citizens up against the Nazi regime with a not-so-subtle subliminal message – buy bonds or you’re no better than a Nazi.

IMG SRC: http://file.vintageadbrowser.com/l-5yzkzizkqv817z.jpg

10. Now … All Together

One of our favorite wartime photos turned wartime advertisement, this poster uses the pinnacle proud moment of the marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II as a way to fuel the 7th round of war bond support.

IMG SRC: http://www.crazywebsite.com/Free-Galleries-01/USA_Patriotic/Pictures_WWII_Posters_LG/WWII_War_Bond_Poster_Marines_Iwo_Jima_American_Flag-1LG.jpg

11. Let’s All Fight

Building off the notion of teamwork in wartime, this poster aims to sell war bonds by illustrating that it’s a team effort – yes, a soldier is on the front lines but the factory workers are the ones fueling the fight.

IMG SRC: http://www.samuelowengallery.com/images/P/775.jpg

12. Use V-Mail

Long before e-mail, there was v-mail. While modern technology allows us to send lightning quick electronic mail, it’s funny to see that this vintage ad is boasting a 12-day delivery time – wartime or not, that simply would not fly these days.

IMG SRC: http://file.vintageadbrowser.com/l-wcyqjd1owm24wg.jpg

13. Do Your War Job Well!

Killing all birds with one stone, this wartime poster shows all divisions of military and makes you believe that their lives are literally in your hands – if you don’t do your war job well (i.e. buy bonds), they die!

IMG SRC: http://www.legion.org/documents/legion/posters/1102.jpg

14. Victory

Giving credit to the Coast Guard as the first step toward wartime victory, this recruiting poster makes the Coast Guard division look like an absolute barrel of laughs, chalk full of good times. Or not.

IMG SRC: http://www.nwcfoundation.org/Files/Products/Postcards%20for%20Website%20Victory%20Coast%20Guard.jpg

15. I’m Counting on You!

Coming full circle, here is a final poster featuring Uncle Sam, however, rather than recruiting by means of intimidation, he’s leaning on a different emotion this time – guilt. We can just picture him saying, “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.”

IMG SRC: http://www.militarytimes.com/xml/offduty/technology/offduty_last_minute_gift_guide_121509w/121409OD_gift_poster800.JPG

History of the American Flag (infographic)

Admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 07:00:16 +0000

The American flag goes by many names: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and The Star-Spangled Banner, but what it stands for and the history of this flag requires much more than just the names can convey. “The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” We hope this history of the American flag inspires more patriotism in all of us.

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Military Families go get yourself a Free Home Alarm

Eric Kandell — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:03:34 +0000

This is a very quick and short blog post but we were just notified today that you can get a free adt alarm via this link here if you served in the military. There are some restrictions etc, but it wont hurt to check it out. We have heard great things about these alarm systems for military homes and families. Click here

Anatomy Of A Tank

Admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:00:04 +0000

Ever wonder what it takes to make a tank a tank? A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offense, and defensive capabilities. We hope you like the Anatomy of a Tank graphic below.

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Military vs. Civilian Salaries (Infographic)

Admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:00:41 +0000

There are many like careers offered in both the military and civilian sector. Sometimes it pays to work for Uncle Sam, and sometimes it does not. The infographic below takes a look at some of these careers and their comparable salaries. Let us know what you think by sharing your comments below. Thanks.

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The History of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Infographic)

Admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:00:01 +0000

The Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) Naval Base has been around for much longer than a lot of people know, and it’s been used for much more than a detention camp. Gitmo was actually established in 1898 when the United States took control of Cuba from Spain. The graphic below shows the time line and history of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. We hope you find it interesting!

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Should Woman be allowed in Combat?

Lauren Burns — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:32:35 +0000

There has been a long standing debate about whether or not women should be allowed to serve in combat units of the armed forces. A current poll online at www.world-news.com showed that 50.3% of participates voted “Yes, create a level playing field for all qualified service members”, while 45.6 said no, and 4.1 percent were unsure. Recently a military advisory commission, consisting of current and retired military officers, has come together to recommend that the Pentagon do away with the policy that prohibits them from being allowed to do so; hence the pot is being stirred up again.

For many years woman have been allowed to serve the country, but more in support roles, such as medics, logistics, transportation, and etc. The policy stands that women are not allowed to be assigned to a unit “smaller than a brigade whose primary mission is direct combat on the ground”. Recently a panel met to put finishing touches on a report to recommend the elimination of this policy in order to create a level playing field for ALL service members. This change would be one of the biggest “social” changes since last year when changes were made to allow gay and lesbian members to serve openly and the change to permit women in the Navy to serve on submarines for the first time.

One of the main arguments for this policy change is that it prevents around 10 percent of woman in the Army and the Marine Corps from being able to participate in specialties, which in turn prevents them from promotions and advancement. Proponents see it only fair to allow women the same opportunity as their male counterparts. Another main argument is that these women are still considered a minority and the elimination of this policy would promote diversity. The report states, “The Armed Forces have not yet succeeded in developing leaders who are as diverse as the nation they serve. Minorities and women still lag behind white men in terms of number of military leadership positions.” Women currently make up about 14 percent of the military. Supporters argue the case that bringing minorities into leadership roles will help the units become more effective.

The main concern of the opponents of the policy change is that they do not believe that women have the strength and stamina to take on the hardship of combat. Men and women have to pass certain physical tests in training for the Armed Forces. They only have to meet a minimum standard. For example, 18 year old male needs to do a minimum of 42 pushups in two minutes, 71 sit-ups in two minutes, and run 2 miles in 15:54, but for an 18 year old woman the standards are lower. She has to do 28 pushups, 71 sit-ups, and run 2 miles in 18:54. This is one of the arguments used to show that women are physically different than men, and not as strong. The idea behind the physical training tests is that this is the MINIMUM strength and endurance any soldier needs to survive in combat. Is combat supposed to be easier for women than men? It should not be, so why are their standards lower?

Another argument is that this change will make cohesion in the units fall apart. This was one of the arguments on letting gays into the Armed Forces, as well. Many say that mixing men and women in a high stress environment will create more distraction, misconduct, an emotionally volatile environment, more physical injury, less discipline, lower standards, additional stress on instructors and recruits, and scandal. However, the new report coming out, states that there is little evidence to show that introducing women to the units breaks up cohesion. A study done by the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services actually found that most participants in the study groups had a positive impact on mission accomplishment.

A final argument against the change is that Americans will not be able to stand watching the increasing numbers of women come home in body bags. There is quite a significant difference now in the number of losses between men and women. In the Iraq War as of January 3, 2011, only 110 women have been killed as compared to 4,300 men. In the Afghan campaign, 24 women have been killed, while over 1,400 men have been killed.

Women and men are different physically and psychologically. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the fact is that there is a difference. There are many differences of opinion on this matter because of this reality. Some people believe that even though there are women who can beat a man in any strength or endurance test, that they are the exception, and not the rule, therefore women should not be allowed in combat. However, then there are those who argue that if women can handle childbirth they can handle any kind of combat. After all, women have been known to have a higher pain threshold. Maybe the solution is to make all of the physical testing the same for each gender? Then the physical differences would become less of an issue.

Who knows if this policy will be changed or not, but many top defense leaders say that they do see a change coming someday. Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, said they he expects women to serve in special operations units, such as stealth missions. He also said that he believes they will eventually be allowed to work on special operations forces. The new report recommends that women we phased in, allowing women working in specialties already to be assigned immediately to a unit that requires their expertise. Regardless of what happens with this policy it is important to remember that women in the military make incredible contributions already, and will continue to do so.