What They Gave To Me

[Teresa]

I wish  every Vietnam KIA and every soldier lost in battle had gotten this kind of honor... I also pray that someone straps W, Cheney, BO and Biden in chairs and makes them watch, so they realize what they were/are playing with.

And people are lining up for Michael Jacksons funeral? Disgusting.

[larryJ]

I thought I might put this here.  It seems appropriate.

From the San Gabriel Valley Tribune---Nov. 1, 2009
written by Steve Lambert

Titled:             FEW REMEMBER LIVES LOST TO EARN THE RIGHT TO VOTE

I spoke with Carolyn Goodman twice before she died, and both times left feeling inspired and guilty.

Guilty that I hadn't always stood up for what I believed in.

Guilty about any lost time with my kids.

Guilty for those times I didn't vote.

Carolyn Goodman spoke with passion about all three.  Her middle son, Andrew, was murdered in Mississippi during 1964's Freedom Summer -- dying for what he believed in, dying for the right to vote.

Over the years, Andrew Goodman's story has been memorialized in song, film and books.  The movie "Mississippi Burning" was loosely based on the events of June 21, 1964, when Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner were shot to death by a posse near Philadelphia, Miss.

Returning from visiting a black church that had been burned down, the three young men were pulled over by a deputy sheriff, jailed, then released.  Back on the road, they were stopped by Ku Klux Klan members, shot to death and buried in an earthen dam nearby.

In the weeks following their disappearance, then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy sent in the FBI to investigate, raising America's already heightened awareness of the Civil Rights movement to a whole new level.

By the time their bodies were unearthed, Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner became part of the national lexicon --embodiments of the brutality of social injustice.

What's often lost in the translation, however, was the purpose of their mission -- to register blacks to vote.  The church they visited had been designated a "freedom school" and voter registration center -- a base for freedom riders such as the 20-year-old Goodman, a student from New York.

His mom knew the risks her son was taking, but she and her husband had raised their kids to stand up for what they believed.

Andrew Goodman believed voting was a privilege not to be taken lightly, and died for that right -- in his own country, and months before he himself was old enough to vote.

I spoke by phone with Carolyn Goodman after 9/11 and again before the 2005 trial of Edgar Ray Killen, a former Klan organizer who 41 years after the murders was convicted of manslaughter.

The conversations quickly shifted to voter apathy, and the countless lives lost for something we take for granted.

She died in 2007, but her words, her passion, her mother's heart still ring true.

Tuesday's an election in many of our communities.  Please take the time to vote.

____________________________________________________

Steve Lambert is editor and publisher of the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group.

Larryj

[Teresa]

Trace Adkins sings Till the Last Shot's Fired with the West Point Cadet Glee Club  

[Teresa]

[Teresa]

[Jo McDonald]

 You may have seen this before, but until this is over, we need to
keep our troops in our prayers.

Your cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll
ever meet.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers
why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You are asked to do some thing by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.

You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.

REMEMBER our Troops, and do not forget them.

[larryJ]

I saw this on another blog and wanted to share it.

IF YOU CAN'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM!

Larryj

[Teresa]

[Jo McDonald]

 


Red Skelton--from his television show in 1969 WOW ! Just think, he said this on his television show in 1969 and really had no clue it would ever come about. SAD, isn't it? What a wonderful and worthwhile clip to watch and share with all your friends and acquaintances!
This is one that needs to be passed on to Everyone.

[Judy Harder]

This may have been posted before, but I just had to share it with you all.
Thank you all who served in the military or was a parent of a military person. I dare you to read this
and not have tears in your eyes. Mine are still watering. God bless the USA!


MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN:

He writes:
My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R.
on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they military?"
I asked.

'Yes', she said.

'Is there an escort?' I asked.

'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.

'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board
him early," I said..

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck.
He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced
himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these
fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still
with us.

'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,' he said. He proceeded
to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no.
I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I
appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen
soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his
hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an
uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a
call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out
the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said.
She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year
old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The
family was upset because they were unable to see the container that
the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub
at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting
flight home to Virginia .

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his
son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see
him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the
flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow
them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by
the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I
could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she
asked me if there was anything I could do.. 'I'm on it', I said. I
told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form
of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact
my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio
operator in the operations control center who connects you to the
telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the
dispatcher.. I explained the situation I had on board with the
family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and
that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were
going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family.
I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return
message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is
policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your
arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team
will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be
used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The
family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the
terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private
area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the
family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the
remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here
in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to
the family. Thanks.'

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job.
I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to
pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful
and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing.
After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area.
The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is
always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter
and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp
controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It
looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we
turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and
delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our
gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going
to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers.
He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the
public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your
Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special
announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and
respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost
his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold.
Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are
his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is
asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the
family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our
shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit
door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something
you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every
passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the
family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly
started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in
and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless
You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were
uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out
of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be
with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement
I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them
over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave
soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the
sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure
our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA .

Foot note:
As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including
the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they were
treated. When I read things like this I am proud that our country has
not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war
zones today and give them the respect they so deserve.

I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have
tears in their eyes, including me.

Prayer chain for our Military... Don't break it!

Please send this on after a short prayer.. Prayer for our soldiers
Don't break it!

Prayer:

'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they
protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need. Amen..'

Of all the gifts you could give a
Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm's way,
prayer is the very best one.

GOD BLESS YOU!!!