From Demotix -- U.S. Marine Sergeant defends Occupy Wall Street protestors:

Thousands supported Occupy Wall Street in Times Square last night. After several arrests, a U.S. marine began questioning NYPD officers patriotism as well as their courage.

Last night at Occupy Wall Street in Times Square, Marine Sergeant Shamar Thomas boldly defended the occupiers. Sergeant Thomas calmly asked the NYPD why they aren't protecting the peaceful protestors. The NYPD ignored his questions and continued telling protestors to leave the sidewalk otherwise "they'd get hurt."

Then, in an epic scene, Thomas approached the line of NYPD officers who held their batons.

While many Occupy Wall Street demonstrators had been arrested for merely crossing the street, he exclaimed, "These are U.S. citizens peacefully protesting! These are the people you are supposed to protect!" The 10-15 NYPD officers he addressed dared not to touch him.

Sergeant Thomas continued denouncing the NYPD's actions shouting, "This isn't a war zone! I've served overseas, that's a war zone! Get rid of your batons and helmets!"

After five minutes of severely and loudly criticizing the NYPD, the Sergeant walked away leaving the scorned officers behind. The few people who were there applauded and cheered. Read on...

As they noted, there's no way to know if seeing more members of the armed services joining in these protests will make a difference in the mindset of the police, but I hope it would as well. So far I've seen little indication of that and it didn't seem to make a difference in Boston earlier this week.

h/t Scarce

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December 14, 2009 CNN

BROWN: Tonight, we begin our special series "Band of Sisters," focusing on women at war and the challenges they face on and off the battlefield.

One in 10 American troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq are women. And thousands of them are falling victim to an injury with all the power of a bullet or a roadside bomb, an injury that's long haunted men in combat, post-traumatic stress disorder.

In a few moments, we will talk about some of the reasons women may have it tougher than men when it comes to PTSD. But, first, I want you to meet some of the moms, wives and daughters who have faced the emotional and psychological anguish.

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July 30, 2009 C-SPAN

January 11, 2009 KOMO News