You cannot kill the ideas--Bhagat Singh

Bhagat Singh was an Indian freedom fighter, considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement. He is often referred to as Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

Bhagat Singh was known for his appreciation of martyrdom. His mentor as a young boy was Kartar Singh Sarabha. Singh is himself considered a martyr for acting to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, also considered a martyr. In the leaflet he threw in the Central Assembly on 9 April 1929, he stated that It is easy to kill individuals but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled while the ideas survived. 

This Announcement came from Diep Saeda. a known revolutionary in Pakistan. Programme devoted to S. Bhagat Singh will be held at 

Shadman Market Chowk Lahore Pakistan on Wednesday, March 23 · 5:00pm - 6:00pm. Please teel your friends about this event. : Rector Kathuria

USNS Comfort Deploys in Support of Promise

By Valerie A. Kremer Bureau of Navy Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs BALTIMORE, March 18, 2011 - U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort departed its homeport here yesterday in support of the humanitarian civic assistance mission Continuing Promise 2011. The USNS Comfort, pictured here, departed its homeport of Baltimore on March 17, 2011, in support of the humanitarian civic assistance mission Continuing Promise 2011. U.S. Navy file photo  Continuing Promise is a five-month mission to nine countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean, where the U.S. Navy and its partnering nations will work hand in hand with host nations and a variety of governmental and nongovernmental agencies to train in civil-military operations. "Humanitarian assistance is a key component in the Navy's maritime strategy," Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr., Navy surgeon general, said. "Our humanitarian assistance missions bring to others a sense of enrichment and hope that touches individuals, their families, their communities, their nations, and in doing so, benefits the global community." More than 480 Navy medical personnel will work side by side with medical professionals from the nine host nations, five partner-nation militaries, and more than 30 NGOs to provide medical care to patients both ashore and aboard the Comfort. Also deploying with Comfort are 71 civil-service mariners from Military Sealift Command who operate and navigate the ship, provide electricity and fresh water to the shipboard hospital, and when necessary, transport patients between ship and shore in small boats. "My professional Merchant Marine officers and crew are excited to be part of Continuing Promise 2011," Capt. Randall Rockwood, USNS Comfort civilian master, said. "While Comfort's hospital is key to extending medical care and civil assistance to other nations, our role operating the ship is critical to getting the Navy professionals to their destinations." During the mission, Comfort will visit selected ports in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Peru. Continuing Promise will provide host-nation populations with medical and dental care including surgical services, public health training, engineering support, veterinary services, as well as provide partnering nations with an opportunity to exchange knowledge and information that is critical to building disaster relief preparedness and supporting maritime security in the region. "The relationships built and sustained with our multinational partners during this mission will enhance our ability to work collectively in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in the future, as well as other collaborative security activities in the area," Navy Capt. David Weiss, USNS Comfort medical treatment facility commanding officer, said. "We are looking forward to fostering these relationships in the next five months." This is the Comfort's second Continuing Promise mission and the fifth year that U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command have conducted the mission. During Comfort's previous Continuing Promise missions in 2007 and 2009, medical personnel treated nearly 200,000 people in 14 countries. Continuing Promise is a joint effort with Des Moines University, Johns Hopkins, Loving Hugs Inc., Project Hope, Samaritan's Feet, World Vets and others. "Humanitarian assistance missions such as CP11 demonstrate the Navy's ability to truly be a global force for good while continuing to bolster our relationships with host nations and our NGO partners," Robinson said.

Biographies: Navy Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr. Related Sites: Navy Medicine  USNS Comfort

Face of Defense: Soldier Honors Father With Service

By Army Staff Sgt. John Zumer Task Force Duke KHOST PROVINCE, Afghanistan, March 18, 2011 - The game of catch, a ritual enjoyed by countless fathers and sons over the years, is fondly looked back on by many not only as a game, but also as a bonding experience. Army Staff Sgt. Brian Reddington stands outside the Task Force Duke tactical operations center on Forward Operating Base Salerno, March 12, 2011. Reddington credits his stepfather, Army Sgt. 1st Class John Stephens, who was killed in action in Tikrit, Iraq, on March 15, 2007, with inspiring him to join the Army, and continues to serve to honor his name. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. John Zumer  For Army Staff Sgt. Brian C. Reddington, an air traffic controller assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, his memories of playing catch with his father also are tinged with sadness. Army Sgt. 1st Class John Stephens, a combat medic and the man Reddington considers his father, was killed in action March 15, 2007, in Tikrit, Iraq, when a shaped charge was thrown at his convoy traveling back to Forward Operating Base Speicher. A veteran with 21 years of service, he was on his second deployment, and assigned to the 1st Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. Reddington was stationed at Fort Rucker, Ala., when he heard the news. "You can never prepare yourself for something like that," he said. "It happens to other people." The last time he saw his father was two months before Stephens deployed from Fort Riley, Kan. Despite the loss of a father who had been so influential in raising him, Reddington chooses to remember the timeless memories and lessons passed along. Through them all, the one constant was the American pastime. "Baseball," Reddington said. "That's what we did. He was always my coach up until my junior year" of high school. Reddington smiled as he remembered one of his baseball games when, as a 14-year-old, he was pitching for a team coached by his father. After being hit hard early by the opposition, his father and coach was on the verge of taking him out, something undoubtedly hard to stomach for both parties involved. "Just give me one more inning," Reddington recalled saying, wanting one last chance to work his way out of trouble by himself. His father ultimately left him in, Reddington pitched his way out of the jam, and the game ended happily. But, like many aspects of life touched by baseball, the greatest lessons had nothing to do with the final score or individual statistics. "[It was] the first time in our relationship that he really trusted me," Reddington said, noting that it was perhaps that moment when a father finally saw a son's confidence and abilities to overcome the odds against him. Stephens and Reddington's mother married shortly before Reddington turned 6. A younger brother and sister completed the family. Growing up, his father's military service was something he looked up to, but never was a foregone conclusion that he would follow. Once he decided to enlist, however, the choice was clear. "When I decided to join, it made the Army the only option," he said. With nine years of service under his belt and on his second deployment, Reddington is leaning toward making the Army a career. It undoubtedly will be talked about at length with his wife, Tina, as was his reenlistment decision after his father died. "It was an eye-opener to what could really happen," Reddington said. "Ultimately it was continuing what he started. I reenlisted because I wanted to follow through." With leave slated for June, Reddington is looking forward to seeing his wife and their three children: 6-year-old Grace, 5-year-old Caleb and baby Jacob, who was born March 9. The children will never get the chance to meet their grandfather, but it doesn't mean his legacy won't be passed on. Reddington said he looks forward to sharing with his own children the same timeless advice he heard from his dad that remains with him today. "The thing I carry with me from what he said is, 'No matter what you're doing, do it to the best of your ability.'" Four years have passed since his father's death in Iraq. As to what he would like his own children to remember about their grandfather, Reddington paused a moment, finally paying the ultimate compliment. "He was a great father."

Brian Reddington, at age 8, plays Army with his stepfather, then-Army Sgt. John Stephens, at their home on Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in 1989. Reddington said Stephens, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2007, was his inspiration to join the military. Courtesy photo

Presenting the U.S. flag

Randolph Air Force Base Girl Scouts present the U.S. flag to Air Force Col. Soledad Lindo-Moon, the 359th Medical Group commander, during the annual Girl Scout Flag Retreat Ceremony at Randolph Air Force Base, TX, March 8, 2011. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, area mayors, school officials and Air Force leadership. (DoD photo by David Terry, U.S. Air Force/Released)

Underwater Demolition training

A U.S. Navy SEAL candidate in the final phase of Basic Underwater Demolition training is illuminated by a flare on San Clemente Island, Calif., March 11, 2011. The Navy SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Operations Command and are trained to conduct a variety of operations from the sea, air and land. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Blake Midnight, U.S Navy/Released)

Prepare to fire

From left, U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Liji Sui, Sgt. Richard West and Lance Cpl. Kirby Salmans, all with Battalion Landing Team 3/8, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Regimental Combat Team 8, prepare to fire a 120mm mortar at Combat Outpost Ouellette, Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 6, 2011. This was the first time the new Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System's Ballistic Computer 11 software was used in the field. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is deployed to Afghanistan in support of the International Security Assistance Force. (DoD photo by Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

Afghan Citizens Beaten in Detention at Ukraine Airport

Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 12:13 AM

Afghan Citizens Beaten in Detention at Ukraine Airport, Says Amnesty International 

Washington, D.C.: Wednesday, March 16, 2011: Amnesty International has condemned the mistreatment of eight Afghan citizens awaiting deportation from Ukraine, who are being beaten by border guards and denied adequate food, water and medical treatment.

The eight men have been in detention at Boryspil Airport in Kyiv for three days and sources have told Amnesty International that, as a result of the ill-treatment, some of them are so severely injured that they are unable to lie down.  

“The Ukrainian authorities must stop these deportations,” said Andrea Huber, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Europe and Central Asia. “They also need to rein in their border guards, and provide adequate medical treatment, food and water to these men as required by international law. The appalling reports of detainee abuse must be investigated immediately.”

Some of the detained group applied for asylum in Ukraine, but their claims were rejected and they have not been able to appeal, contravening Ukraine’s obligations under refugee law.   The Afghans claim that they were not provided with interpreters while claiming asylum, or during the deportation procedure.   They also allege that they were required to sign documents in a language they do not understand, and that some were not present during the hearings on their cases.

“These people should not be deported until they have been given the right to appeal their asylum decision and effectively challenge their deportation, in line with Ukraine’s domestic and international obligations,” said Andrea Huber.    

Amnesty International is also asking the Ukrainian authorities to ensure the detained men are given access to lawyers and the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR.

Six other Afghans who were originally detained with the group have already been deported to Afghanistan in the last two days, including an unaccompanied minor.   Also, allegedly subjected to abuses by guards, some of these detainees self-harmed in protest, but were deported anyway. 

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