Invitation to: Live Town Hall meeting Wed. 2/3/10 for Long Island, NY Veterans

January 18, 2010 — olotliny

 Wednesday, February 3rd 2010

Often deployment is the least of the problems. The issues that confront returning veterans can be overwhelming. That’s why WABC-TV is looking to shed light on some of the biggest problems our veterans, and their families, can face.
On Wednesday, February 3rd at 5:30 p.m., Channel 7 Eyewitness News will broadcast a half-hour special that speaks directly to the area’s  quarter million veterans.
The program will be live from inside the historic hangars of the American Airpower Museum, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, just south of Conklin Avenue.  The program is being hosted by Eyewitness News anchors Diana Williams and Sade Baderinwa.
Veterans in Nassau and Suffolk Counties are being invited to watch to the program and then participate in a Town Hall meeting.
You will get a chance to join Williams and Baderinwa as they conduct a forum with community members and the Channel 7 management team.
It’s our chance to ask WABC questions! From how our veterans community can get coverage or promotion, to how WABC can get our story ideas, or whatever else is on our mind!  The Channel 7 team will be here to answer questions.
We look for as many veterans, and their families, to join this free community forum.

There will be limited room to watch the broadcast live at the museum. So we can coordinate planning needs for this effort please RSVP to [email protected] at your earliest convenience so they know how many veterans will be in attendance.
FYI
Yours in Comradeship
Past Commander
Suffolk County Council VFW
Richard Woltman
Please Read
Bob Shadler
American Legion
Suffolk County Commander
2173 Cedar Ave.
Ronkonkoma. NY. 11779
E mail: [email protected]
H: 631-467-3428
W: 516-752-5644
C: 631-848-8410
 

Up Date:  2/5/10  link to Eye Witness News “In Your Neighborhood Veteran’s Affairs:

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/channel?section=news/local&id=7249037

 

 

 

For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.

 
Posted in family support, From the Troops, IAVA, P.O.W.-M.I.A., Post Tramatic Stress, Quote, support the troops, Veterans, wounded warrior. Tags: , , , , , , , , . Comments Off on Invitation to: Live Town Hall meeting Wed. 2/3/10 for Long Island, NY Veterans

“Christmas in the Trenches”

December 6, 2009 — olotliny

“Christmas in the Trenches” – song by John McCutcheon  http://www.worldwar1.com/sfcitt.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJi41RWaTCs&feature=PlayList&p=58152508C84AFB73&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=34

"My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same"

—-SUPPORT—

//

tr.v. sup·port·ed, sup·port·ing, sup·ports

1. To bear the weight of, especially from below.
2. To hold in position so as to keep from falling, sinking, or slipping.
3. To be capable of bearing; withstand: “His flaw’d heart . . . too weak the conflict to support” (Shakespeare).
4. To keep from weakening or failing; strengthen: The letter supported him in his grief.
5. To provide for or maintain, by supplying with money or necessities.
6. To furnish corroborating evidence for: New facts supported her story.
7.
a. To aid the cause, policy, or interests of: supported her in her election campaign.
b. To argue in favor of; advocate: supported lower taxes.
8. To endure; tolerate: “At supper there was such a conflux of company that I could scarcely support the tumult” (Samuel Johnson).
9. To act in a secondary or subordinate role to (a leading performer).http://www.thefreedictionary.com/support
“GIVE THIS CHRISTMAS AWAY”

 
 

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear..
Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

“What are you doing?” I asked without fear,
“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said “Its really all right,
I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.”
“It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ‘ Pearl on a day in December,”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘ Nam ‘,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue… an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall..”

”  So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”
“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
“Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

 

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let’s try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people
stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.
   

 

“A Cold Christmas Day”

for thoughts unforgotten
on this cold chilly night
my thoughts overseas
my brothers who fight,

so sad and unsure of how this might feel
soon i’ll be over there carrying my steel
their boots filled with sand
their head in a spin
why fight a war where no one wins?

they cry in their sleep on this cold winter night
missing their families to put up a fight
a soldier’s in pain because of this war
it only makes us stronger, more and more

a friend is away in a distant land
fighting for freedom in nothing but sand
knowing we might die is always a thought
but the people we love cannot be bought

so i say to my brothers away and far
please come back safely and end this war
we’ll drink for our battles but never for fame
this life as we know it is only a game

i sit here with tear not to be moved
war is a game you dont want to play
my prayers be with you on this cold christmas day

Justin B

4-73rd CAV, 82nd Airborne US Army

The Sands of Christmas

I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh,
and looked across the table where the bills were piled too high.
The laundry wasn’t finished and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Chargers lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.
The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
and so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.
And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
eight Humvees ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens,
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.
They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.
There wasn’t much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn’t have a garland or a stocking I could see,
They didn’t need an ornament–they lacked a Christmas tree.
They didn’t have a present even though it was tradition,
the only boxes I could see were labeled “ammunition.”

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.
I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
and kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

There’s nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight,
our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,
to worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
instead of wondering if we will be the very next to fall.

He looked at me as children do and said it’s always right,
to thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.
And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
to thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

God bless you all and keep you safe, and speed your way
back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you’re not alone.
The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty and that we can’t repay.

Author: Michael Marks
Copyright © 2003

He won’t be home for Christmas

He won’t be home for Christmas,
‘Cause he’s far across the sea.
He won’t be home for Christmas,
For he’s there to keep us free.

He didn’t ask to fight this war,
His country made the call.
He answered and not questioned why
For he saw the Towers fall.

He won’t be home for New Years,
‘Cause he has a job to do.
He won’t be home for New Years,
‘Cause he gives his all for you.

He proudly wears the uniform,
Like his father had before.
And he heard of how his grandpa,
Went marching off to war.

He may not be here for Easter,
Who knows how long he’ll be.
This battle will go on and on,
We’ll have to wait and see.

You can’t put a price on freedom,
The cost you pay is high.
Some men pay with only scars,
While others have to die.

But those who fight to keep us free,
Are heroes, one and all.
They’ll proudly serve and not complain,
Till all the terrorists fall.

When you see that uniform,
Worn by men and women too.
Step up and show how proud you are,
For what they’ve done for you.
They won’t be home for Christmas,
And we’ll miss them ’round the hearth.
Pray that they return, home soon.
And PEACE returns to earth.

Dear GOD I never ask for much,
But now I come to YOU.
Please bless all those who love their flag,
Blood RED, Pure WHITE, True BLUE!

Copyright © Joe Pielmeier Sr. 12 / 12 /01
Joe Went To Heaven On 12/05/02

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know, Then the

sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

“What are you doing?” I asked without fear,

“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light

Then he sighed and he said “Its really all right,

I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.”

“It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ‘Pearl on a day in December,”

Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always remembers.”

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘Nam’,

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue… an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and

the sleet,I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.”

“So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”

“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,

“Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,

For being away from your wife and your son.”

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

“Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”

The Sailor’s Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,
Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.

They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,
In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.

I had come down the stack with presents to give,
And to see inside just who might perhaps live.

I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,
On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.

They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,
And a sober thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,
I had found the house of a Sailor, at once I saw clearly.

A Sailor lay sleeping, silent and alone,
Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the room squared away,
This was the United States Sailor today.

This was the hero I saw on TV,
Defending our country so we could be free.

I realized the families that I would visit this night,
Owed their lives to these Sailors lay willing to fight.

Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,
Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,
“Santa, don’t cry, this life is my choice.”

“Defending the seas all days of the year,
So others may live and be free with no fear.”

I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,
To live a life guided by honor and code.

After all it’s Christmas Eve and the ship’s underway!
But freedom isn’t free and it’s sailors who pay.

The Sailor say’s to our country “be free and sleep tight,
No harm will come, not on my watch and not on this night.

The Sailor rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours, so silent, so still,
I watched as the Sailor shivered from the night’s cold chill.

I didn’t want to leave on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honor so willing to fight.

The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure,
Commanded, “Carry on Santa, It’s Christmas, and All is Secure!”

HONOR, COURAGE AND COMMITMENT

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator.

 

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another cook.

 

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, if profits me nothing.

 

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing the choir’s cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

 

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

 

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

 

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

 

Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

 

Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

 

Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

 

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

Love never fails.

 

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust.

 

But giving the gift of love will endure.

 

Based on 1 Corinthians 13

Author unknown

Posted in Civics, family support, From the Troops, Homeless, IAVA, In Memory, P.O.W.-M.I.A., Poems, Post Tramatic Stress, Quote, Soldier's Angels, support the troops, Veterans, Video, wounded warrior. Tags: , , . Comments Off on “Christmas in the Trenches”

Thank you on Veterans Day and everyday.

November 10, 2009 — olotliny

images

http://iwvpa.net/provincecm/

IT IS THE SOLDIER273514267_ba203caa24_m

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.Homeless Veterans

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

©Copyright 1970, 2005 by Charles M. Province

http://www.veteranshield.org/Our_Mission.html

“THE WARRIOR SONG”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTs6a0ORdQU

ARMED FORCES RELIEF TRUST http://www.afrtrust.org/

 

This link will connect you to 10 Lessons learned from a janitor.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=258367.0

Some veterans/heroes bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain haunted look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg – – – or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul’s alloy forged in the refinery of adversity .Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.

You can’t tell a vet/hero just by looking.He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn’t run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She – or he – is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in DaNang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another – or didn’t come back at all.

He is the Quantico drill instructor that has never seen combat – but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other’s backs.

He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean’s sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket – palsied now and aggravatingly slow – who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being a person who offered some of his life’s most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say “Thank You.” That’s all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot,

“THANK YOU”.

A Thankful Thanksgiving

Korean War MemorialThe America we witness today has seen much sacrifice
This sacrifice for many, has meant a total giving of life for liberty
Do all truly realize what the human cost of freedom is
All citizens should understand what has kept us whole

Should it not be the duty of each American to know this
To become familiar with the reasons of why we exist today
The notion that “that’s the way things are” is ludicrous
When a firm explanation is so easily understood

We’ve survived because of faith, determination, and great sacrifice
The backbone of this country is the strength of its good citizens
Each true American is worth more than all the gold found in history
Selfishness does not rule their home, nor does it drive their thought

And don’t just look at our military as a magnificent force
Rather look at each member of our soldiered family with pride
“Ready, willing, and able” have been the finest of each generation
Whether in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, or any other place of danger

Whenever an American military presence moves into action
Behold the continuation of an outstanding tradition
Formed through freedom, it bravely faces all adversaries
And the flag under which it stands will always fly in freedom

We are and always will be one nation under God
He is the strength we have turned to time and time again
If we did not have Him, we would have perished long ago
God Bless America is more than a song, it is our national prayer

Finally, I wish each fine American a thankful Thanksgiving Day
May you truly realize what we are, and pray to Almighty God for continuation
Be ever thankful for our Armed Forces, and give them the total support they need
And please pray for all American families who have paid the price for freedom

©2002,2005Roger J. Robicheau

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/thanksgiving/poems-rhymes/a-thankful-thanksgiving.html

Veteran’s Day Tribute

When America had an urgent need,
These brave ones raised a hand;
No hesitation held them back;
They were proud to take a stand. They left their friends and family;
They gave up normal life;
To serve their country and their God,
They plowed into the strife. They fought for freedom and for peace
On strange and foreign shores;
Some lost new friends; some lost their lives
In long and brutal wars. Other veterans answered a callWWII Pacific Memorial
To support the ones who fought;
Their country had requirements for
The essential skills they brought. We salute each and every one of them,
The noble and the brave,
The ones still with us here today,
And those who rest in a grave. So here’s to our country’s heroes;
They’re a cut above the rest;
Let’s give the honor that is due
To our country’s very best. By Joanna Fuchshttp://www.poemsource.com/patriotic-poems.html

Why Do We Honor “Veterans”?

When you see Old Glory waving in a breeze, When you hear the silence amongst the trees,
When you,to sleep, you lay your head ,
Your dreams can be happy, not filled with dread.

When you gaze upon a starlit night
And are not filled with constant fright
Because across the sky a star is streaking
And not a missile or mortar shell is shrieking.

When in your streets car horns are blowing
Instead of fires from bombs are glowing
When the sound of sirens means help is near
Instead “hide until all is clear!”

When a wreath is placed in Pearl Harbor
For those still entombed in the water.
When veterans cry remembering this
And all the friends, forever, they’ll miss.

When no one speaks while at “The Wall”Vietnam Memorial
Where tears come freely to the small and tall.
Know that group of veterans wouldn’t quit,
Even though Americans upon them did spit.

When young ones ask about the flags
Placed gracefully over cemetery tags.
You tell them that veterans answered the call,
To keep us safe, one and all.

When a lump in your throat rises as “Taps” is played,
And a loved one, to rest, is laid.
This veteran’s sacrifice did ensure,
That America’s freedom would endure.

We honor our veterans because for their own reasons, they chose to serve this country.
We honor them because without them, this country wouldn’t be what it is today.
It may not be perfect, but there isn’t a greater place on Earth to live.

Author:
Ezra W. Sides
MMC(SW), USN(Retired)
11/09/05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eisoitxhvI “Still in Saigon”

Below which is a virtual wall of all those lost during the Viet Nam war with the names, bio’s and other information on our lost comrades.

First click on a state……then when it opens ………scroll down to the city, the names will appear …….
then click on their names ……….it might even show you a picture of the person or at least his bio and awards…………..

http://www.virtualwall.org/iStates.htm

(Thanks Pat for sending/sharing that link.)

“Alone”     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDbqLul97Fg

“IT’S NOT ABOUT THE WAR-IT’S ABOUT THE WARRIOR”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ6e4Og97eU

http://www.metrolyrics.com/til-the-last-shots-fired-lyrics-trace-adkins.html

I was there in the winter of ’64
When we camped in the ice
at Nashville’s doors
Three hundred miles our trail had led
We barely had time to bury our dead
When the Yankees charged and the colors fell
Overton hill was a living hell
When we called retreat it was almost dark
I died with a grapeshot in my heart

Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set my spirit free
Let me lay down my gun
Sweet mother Mary I’m so tired
But I can’t come home ’til
the last shot’s fired

In June of 1944
I waited in the blood of Omaha’s shores
Twenty-one and scared to death
My heart poundin’ in my chest
I almost made the first seawall
When my friends turned and saw me fall
I still smell the smoke, I can taste the mud
As I lay there dying from a loss of blood

Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set my spirit free
Let me lay down my gun
Sweet mother Mary I’m so tired
But I can’t come home ’til
the last shot’s fired

I’m in the fields of Vietnam,
The mountains of Afghanistan
And I’m still hopin’, waitin’, prayin’
I did not die in vain

Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set our spirits free
Let us lay down our guns
Sweet mother Mary we’re so tired
But we can’t come home ’til
the last shot’s fired
‘Til the last shot’s fired

“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”Gen. Douglas MacArthur

http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_soldier-above_all_other_people-prays_for/147488.html

Posted in 9-11, Civics, Homeless, IAVA, In Memory, P.O.W.-M.I.A., Poems, Post Tramatic Stress, Quote, support the troops, Veterans, Video, wounded warrior. Tags: , , , . Comments Off on Thank you on Veterans Day and everyday.

Honoring the life of Staff Sgt. Keith Bishop, Green Beret

November 8, 2009 — olotliny

Comrades, Sisters and Veterans:

The VFW of Suffolk County Council is asking all veterans, ladies auxiliary and anyone else that can be there to pay their respect for S/Sgt Bishop on Monday November 9, 2009, located at the United Methodist Church on South Ocean Avenue just south of Sunrise Hwy we want to line the street with as many people as we can at 0900 hrs . We want to see as many of the VFW West end post with hats there as possible and the East end Post please attend the burial at Calverton with hats, they should arrive there around 1100 hrs.

In addition the VFW  of Suffolk County will pay their respect on Sunday November 8, 2009 at 1900 hrs at the Ruland Funeral Home on North Ocean Ave. just north of Sunrise Hwy on the west side of the Street

Funeral services for Staff Sgt. Keith Bishop of Medford, the Green Beret who was killed along with six other soldiers on Oct. 26 when a MH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in Darreh-ye Bum, Afghanistan, will be held Monday.

Bishop, 28, was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., defense Department officials said.

Bishop’s body will arrive on Long Island on Thursday or Friday, Evangelist Pastor Glenn Diener said Monday.

A wake will be conducted from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Ruland Funeral Home on North Ocean Avenue in Patchogue.

Funeral services will be held on Monday at 10 a.m. at United Methodist Church on South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue. Burial will follow in Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton

Yours in Comradeship

Past Commander

Suffolk County Council VFW

Dick Woltman

For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH4-tOqLH94&feature=related

Ballad of the Green Beret

by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler and Robin Moore, copyright 1966

Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret

Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Trained to live off nature’s land
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage peak from the Green Berets

Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America’s best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her his last request

Put silver wings on my son’s chest
Make him one of America’s best
He’ll be a man they’ll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret.

http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/ssgt_barry_sadler/the_ballad_of_the_green_berets.html

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/strangers-share-in-bishop-family-s-grief-1.1573078

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/bio_keith_bishop_fallen_soldier_20091030

http://www.militarycity.com/valor/4352132.html

To sign the on-line condolence book: http://legacy.suntimes.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookid=4565685636923

Posted in 9-11, Civics, family support, In Memory, Poems, Quote, support the troops, Veterans, Video. Tags: , , . Comments Off on Honoring the life of Staff Sgt. Keith Bishop, Green Beret

September 11th 9-11 NEVER FORGET

August 29, 2009 — olotliny

9/11 speech by President George W Bush

“Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbours. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.


The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong.


A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.496270960_65f081c22f_m
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America — with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbours who came to give blood and help in any way they could.


Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C. to help with local rescue efforts.
Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.
The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight, and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business, as well.


The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts. I’ve directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them.
I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance.


America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism. Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.”


This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.”

http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/George_W_Bush/

September 11th- now named: “Patriot Day”.

Patriot is defined as: one who loves and defends his or her country and one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests. Abraham Lincoln said: “Gold is good in its place, but living, brave, patriotic men are better than gold.”

“The American’s Creed”

by William Tyler Page

I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.

–Written 1917, accepted by the United States House of Representatives on April 3, 1918.

images

“PROJECT 2996” http://project2996.wordpress.com/ – remember the victims of 9/11 – the people who went to work and did not come home.

http://www.legacy.com/Sept11/Home.aspx

CARL FLICKINGER:

Thoughtful husband and father, golf enthusiast

Flickinger_Carl

Carl Flickinger considered his work hours at Cantor Fitzgerald to be one of the job’s biggest benefits. Though he started at 7 a.m., he was home by 6:30 p.m. with his family in Congers in Rockland County.

Mr. Flickinger, 38, slid comfortably into domestic routines. Every Saturday, he shopped for groceries before taking his 11-year-old twin sons to the mall for new sneakers or jeans. In the evening, he checked his sons’ homework and read to his 5-year-old daughter. On and off the job, he drove himself. He would not just play an easy 18 holes of golf; he took lessons and practiced on the driving range.

Mr. Flickinger was a gadget guy, said his wife, Kathy, and he liked to buy the latest nifty devices as gifts for friends.

Every morning before his commute, he bought coffee at the Dairy Mart and left it for his wife. And at 11 a.m., he always called home. “Just to touch base,” she said. “Just to tell me how his morning was going.”  http://inmemoriamonline.net/Profiles/Folders/F_Folder/Flickinger_Carl.html

Links:

Legacy Guest Book:    http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookid=96911

http://bobmcdonald.ba.ttu.edu/Home%20Page/world_trade_center_page.htm

http://terroristattack.com/messages.php?id=942

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/people/1983.html

http://www.9-11heroes.us/v/Carl_Flickinger.php

http://remember911.albertarose.org/wtc9.htm

pi20050713a05

“You have never met me…..

I am the stranger everywhere…

Sitting next to you on the subway…..

Selling newspapers on the street…

Begging for change on the corner…

Gazing out of a corporate building…

Playing in the park…61P8J67HK6L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_

Driving your taxi…

Babysitting your kids…

Creating the laws…

But always, always

Loving you unconditionally.

You don’t need to know me

To know that you are loved.

All the pain you feel

You are never truly alone.

My prayers are with you

Your heart will heal

The sun will shine

and your loved ones

will reach

Their places with God.

Love, always,

Kelly Nicole”

(above poem/letter-from book:  “Do not be sad.  A Chronicle of Healing. Children’s letters and artwork sent after 9/11 from across America to Engine 24 Ladder 5 FDNY” ISBN#:  0-941807-80-0)

Elena Ledesma642627

“A Family’s ‘Source of Light’

Elena Ledesma was the heart and soul of her extended family. On camping trips, she was the first to pitch the tents. She was the one who administered insulin to her 66-year- old diabetic mother and took her to the doctor. She was raising two daughters and working full time.

Ms. Ledesma, who was 37, worked at the World Trade Center as a maintenance coordinator at Marsh & McLennan. She was responsible for maintenance on Floors 93 to 99. The divorced mother of a 12-year-old and a 17-year-old, she lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Her mother, aunts and cousins all lived in the same building.

“My sister was a giving person,” said Nelson Hernandez, her older brother. “She was always the one we turned to for anything. I had a lot of dreams. We were going to buy a house together for our mother.”

Belkis Mercedes, a friend, said she believed that many family members still expected Ms. Ledesma to reappear. “She was their source of light,” Ms. Mercedes said. ”

(Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on October 6, 2001.) http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/07/national/portraits/POGF-158-8LEDESMA.html

http://www.legacy.com/Sept11/Story.aspx?PersonID=113377

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/people/4149.html

http://memorial.mmc.com/pgBio.asp?ID=155

http://www.9-11heroes.us/v/Elena_Ledesma.php

Karleton D.B. Fyfe

Karleton Fyfe’s mother had to be bedridden for the six months before he was born; he seemed to be in a hurry to get into the world.

There was so much to be excited about. Take the birth of his own son. He and his wife made it a group project. They sent family and close friends a video titled “It’s a. . . .” showing them going for the sonogram and at the end opening an envelope in which the doctor had written “boy.” When Jackson turned 1, they asked the same group to write something and seal it for him to open when he turned 18. 91795bport

Then, because Mr. Fyfe heard that the terrible 2’s were caused by frustration at not being able to communicate, he taught his son sign language. “He was really living it,” said Tristin Laughter a longtime friend of the couple.

Mr. Fyfe, 31, really lived everything, applying the same boyishness and determination whether he was mastering Steve Martin routines or the curveball as a kid, or tackling projects as a senior analyst at John Hancock — the job for which he was traveling on American Airlines Flight 11.
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 31, 2001.

Karleton Fyfe’s mother called his Brookline, Mass., home on Tuesday morning. She had seen the news of burning buildings and wanted to make sure her only son was not inside his 56th floor office in Boston.

He wasn’t, Fyfe’s wife, Haven, assured her mother-in-law. He was on an airplane.

Fyfe, a 31-year-old John Hancock employee and father of 1-year-old Jackson, was aboard American Airlines 11. The trip was for business.

Kansas City Star columnist Bill Tammeus had written almost all of his column–about the bombing–before he learned that Fyfe, his nephew, was a victim. “He’s the kind of kid that if there was anything that could have been done on that plane to help, he would have done it,” said Tammeus, who grew up in Woodstock.

Profile courtesy of THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.   http://www.legacy.com/Sept11/Story.aspx?PersonID=91795

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/people/1380.html

American Airlines, Flight 11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_11

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/11/never-forget-american-airlines-flight-11-2/

http://terroristattack.com/messages.php?id=989

http://www.9-11heroes.us/v/Karleton_DB_Fyfe.php

http://www.meme-pops.com/wtc/AAF11.htm

“FREE”256393468_7cf2a811f5_m

and She called…
Blacks, Whites…wait
African Americans and Caucasians, Asians, excuse me.
Vietnamese, Philippines, Koreans and Jamaicans or
Haitians, waitin’, Hispanics, y’all.

Please be patient
432401516_97e46f5aef_mMexican, Puerto Ricans, Venezuelan, Cuban, v Dominican, Panamanian, Democrats
I beg your pardon, you partied with the late, great Reagan?
Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunni Muslim, Brothers and Sisters who never seen the New York city
skyline when the twin towers still existed.
But still She called.376983006_c8c609458e_m

From the bowels of Ground Zero she sent this 911 distress signal.
Because She was in desperate need of a hero,
and didn’t have time to decipher what to call ‘em,
so she called ‘em all Her children.
432375651_315b1c0469The children of the stars and bars who needed to know nothing more than the fact that she called.
The fact that someone attempted to harm us
this daughter who covered us all with her loving arms.
And now these arms are sprawled across New York City streets.
A smoke filled lung, a silt covered faced,
and a solitary tear poured out of her cheek.
Her singed garments carpets Pennsylvania Avenue and the Pentagon was under her feet.
As she began to talk, she began to cough up small particles of debris
and said, “I am America, and I’m calling on the land of the free.”
So they answered.

All personal differences set to the side
because right now there was no time to decide which state building the Confederate flag should fly over,
and which trimester the embryo is considered alive,
or on our monetary units, and which God we should confide.
You see, someone attempted to choke the voice
of the one who gave us the right for choice,
and now she was callin’.
And somebody had to answer.
Who was going to answer?

So they did.
Stern faces and chiseled chins.
Devoted women and disciplined men,
who rose from the ashes like a Phoenix
and said “don’t worry, we’ll stand in your defense.”
They tightened up their bootlaces1795375399_3ee890701e
and said goodbye to loved ones, family and friends.
They tried to bombard them with the “hold on”, “wait-a-minute’s”, and “what-ifs”.
And “Daddy, where you goin’?”.
And, “Mommy, why you leavin’?”.
And they merely kissed them on their foreheads and said “Don’t worry, I have my reasons.
You see, to this country I pledged my allegiance
to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic.
So as long as I’m breathin’, I’ll run though hell-fire,
meet the enemy on the front lines,
look him directly in his face,
stare directly in his eyes and scream,
“I AM AMERICA! WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED!
WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED!
I REFUSE TO BE AFRAID!
I’LL FIGHT YOU ANY COUNTRY, ANY CONTINENT, ANY TERRAIN.
I’LL FIGHT TO MY LAST BREATH!”

And if by chance death is my fate,
pin my medals upon my chest,
and throw Old Glory on my grave.
But, don’t y’all cry for me.
You see, my Father’s prepared a place.
I’ll be a part of his Holy army standing a watch at the Pearly Gates.
Because freedom was never free.
POW’s, and fallen soldiers
all paid the ultimate sacrifice
along side veterans who put themselves in harms way.
Risking their lives and limbs just to hold up democracy’s weight,
imagesbut still standing on them broken appendages anytime the National Anthem was played.BaylisMatthewE_1
You see, these were the brave warriors that gave me the right
to say that I’m Black. Or white.

Or

African American or Caucasian,
I’m Asian, excuse me.
I’m Vietnamese, Philippine, Korean, or Jamaican.
I’m Haitian, Hispanic

Y’all, Please be patient.
I’m Mexican, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, Cuban,
Dominican, Panamanian, Democrat
I beg your pardon, you see I partied with the late, great Reagan.
I’m Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunni Muslim,

Brothers and Sisters We’re just Americans.
So with that I say
images“Thank You” to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines,273514267_ba203caa24_m
for preserving my rights
to live and die for this life
and paying the ultimate price for me to be…FREE!

http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/media/tribute/tribute.html

This link will take the reader to “Ground Zero” photographs: http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/wtc_other/ground_zero/1005_57.shtml

PROJECT REBIRTH:

http://www.projectrebirth.org/

This link will take the reader to the 2006 report: “Addressing the health impacts of 9/11/01” http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/911_health_impacts_report.pdf

“American Experience”–“The Center of the World” is a series of t.v. shows documenting the World Trade Center from vision to reality to it’s attack on 9/11/01. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/newyork/sfeature/sf_int_pop_04_01_tr_qry.html

Here is a link to a site that contains pictures and news articles on: “September 11, 2001-A Day the World Changed.” http://www.september11news.com/

FDNY Memorial and pictures of Ground Zero for 9/11/01

http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/media/tribute/tribute.html

http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/daniels-charlie/the-last-fallen-hero-10974.html

“The Last Fallen Hero”

Charlie Daniels album:  Freedom and Justice for All

Oh, the cowards came by morning and attacked without a warning
Leaving flames and death and chaos in our streets
In the middle of this fiery hell brave heroes fell

In the skies of Pennsylvania on a plane bound for destruction
With the devil and his angels at the wheel
They never reached their target on the ground
Brave heroes brought it down

Chorus:
This is a righteous cause so without doubt or pause351231698_bdf6e8a752_m
I will do what my country asks of me
Make any sacrifice
We’ll pay whatever price
So the children of tomorrow can be free
Lead on red, white and blue
And we will follow you until we win the final victory
God help us do our best we will not slack or rest
Till the last fallen hero rests in peace

Now the winds of war are blowing and there’s no way of knowing
Where this bloody path we’re traveling will lead
We must follow till the end
Or face it all again

And make no mistake about it, write it, preach it, talk it, shout it
Across the mountains and the deserts and the seas
The blood of innocence and shame
Will not be shed in vain329635053_a360f762f7_m

Chorus

God help us do our best we will not slack nor rest
Till the last fallen hero rests in peace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY00LmtUlqQ

Budweiser tribute to NYC/9/11 commercial that aired once:

youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLajmXJH5k

Here is a youtube video of of another artist’s gift /tribute to those who gave all and those who give much every day:

youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZFkZiwMLZ4

http://www.michaelisrael.com/

FIRE FIGHTER’S PRAYER

When I’m called to duty God wherever flames may rage
grant me the strength to save a life whatever be its age

Help me to embrace a little child before it is too late
or save an older person from the horror of that fate

Enable me to be alert to hear the weakest shout
and quickly and efficiently put the fire out

I want to fill my calling Lord and give the best in me
to guard my every neighbor and protect his property

And if according to your will I am to lose my life
God bless with your protecting hand my children and my wife

Racicot’s ice sculpture: “From Fire to Ice0223-1lg

”http://www.firehouse.com/news/2002/2/0223-1lg.jpg

“Always remember, Never Forget the sacrifice of 346 FDNY Brothers”:

Kevin Smith

images

World Trade Center

Born to Serve
“Firefighter Kevin Smith spent almost 20 years preparing for Sept. 11. When he called his wife, Jerri, that morning, his voice trembled with excitement, not fear.

“He was saying, `All my work during all those years and now here it is,’ ” Mrs. Smith said.

In the early 1980’s, Firefighter Smith, 47, became a charter member of the Fire Department’s hazardous materials unit. Then, after the first trade center bombing, in 1993, he was detailed to the mayor’s Office of Emergency Management.

He took on the most dangerous aspect of a most dangerous occupation because that was the kind of thing he had always done. “He just had this desire to serve,” said his sister Catherine. “And he loved being in a uniform.” He was a Boy Scout. Then a marine. He joined the volunteer fire department in Mastic, on Long Island, where he lived, and there met Mrs. Smith, an ambulance volunteer.

When they married, both brought children, eight in all, from earlier marriages. Each one inherited the same steely notion of service. One now is a sailor. One a marine. Two daughters are taking the police exam. And one son, Brian, who was a Fire Department emergency medical service officer on 9/11, was there, and survived, when the towers fell on his father.

“Sometimes, in my own self-pity, I sit and say, `How much can one family give?’ “Mrs. Smith said. She said she had been tempted to tell the world to leave them alone. But then she thinks of Firefighter Smith, so quietly devoted to family and work. “And there comes the pride,” she said, “of knowing we are all still following him.”

(Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on March 8, 2003.)”

http://www.legacy.com/Sept11/Story.aspx?PersonID=147530

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/people/2381.html

http://www.sconfire.com/FDNY-Memorial.htm

http://nyfd.com/9_11_wtc.html

http://www.9-11-01remembertheheroes.com/photo_page_6.htm

http://books.google.com/books?id=ec-BbEYofIsC&pg=PA567&lpg=PA567&dq=kevin+smith,+fdny,+9/11/01&source=bl&ots=9-qhTwSH5g&sig=Vt84w3jIYfgfvbn0kszW_PEAh34&hl=en&ei=lnKoSue_LNHZlAfD5vnoBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

http://www.sconfire.com/FDNY-Memorial.htm

9-11 NEVER FORGET MEMORIAL:  “BLOOD OF HEROES“

http://www.fdnylodd.com/9-11-Never-Forget/Memorials/Blood-Of-Heroes.html

“Care and compensation in short supply for ailing and troubled 9/11 workers”

http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=5665.0

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-liheal0910,0,4449343.story?coll=ny_home_rail_headlines (Newsday link in archives)

History Channel 9-11-01 “One day changes everything”

http://www.history.com/states.do?parentId=9-11

http://www.post-gazette.com/headlines/20010916phonecallnat3p3.asp

Todd Beamer dad to 2 young sons then 3 and 1-years-old, on his last call out from Flight 93 asked the operator to call his family, pray with him and they recited the 23rd psalm together, before Todd and others on the plane counter attacked the hijackers.

The LORD Is My Shepherd

23The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green [1] pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest [2] my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

http://www.toddbeamer.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Beamer

http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Roll-Ordinary-Extraordinary-Courage/dp/0842373195

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO READ/SIGN LETTER TO PRESIDENT ON  HIS USING CIVILIAN COURT SYSTEM IN NYC TO PROSECUTE 9/11 CONSPIRATORS:

http://www.thebravest.com/ObamaLetter110909.htm

http://www.911neverforget.us/

“HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN?”


youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-x9kMPauc

Lyrics:

I hear people saying we don’t need this war
I say there’s some things worth fighting for

What about our freedom and this piece of ground?
We didn’t get to keep ’em by backing down
They say we don’t realize the mess we’re getting in
Before you start preaching
Let me ask you this my friend

CHORUS 1
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn’t worry ’bout Bin Ladenimages
Have you forgotten?

They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it’s too disturbing for you and me
It’ll just breed anger that’s what the experts say
If it was up to me I’d show it every day
Some say this country’s just out looking for a fight
After 9/11 man I’d have to say that’s right

CHORUS 1
Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn’t worry ’bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

I’ve been there with the soldiers
Who’ve gone away to war
And you can bet they remember
Just what they’re fighting for

CHORUS 2
Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don’t you tell me not to worry about Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?

Darryl Worley/Wynn Varble, 20039+11+American+Flag+Tribute+Malibu+zUrYu7-eZdul

September 11th, an American flag should be displayed outside every home (everyday), apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this anniversary of our country’s worst tragedy.

We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn’t take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

LIGHTS ON…..9/11

Please join us on 9/11 all across this great land we love and call the United States of America.

September 11 everyone in the USA who will be driving a motor vehicle is asked to drive with their headlights on during daylight hours.

Though no explanation is needed as to why we are commemorating September 11, we hope more importantly to pay respect to the victims of that day, show our nation’s solidarity and show support for our men and women of the Armed Forces.

USS NewYork LPD – 21

http://www.ussnewyork.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_New_York_(LPD-21)

http://www.ussnewyork.com/ussny_history.html

As you scroll down, notice the two twin towers on top uss-new-york-sea-trials

Here SHE is, the USS New York, made from the World
Trade  Center !

USS
New York
It was built with 24 tons of
scrap steel from the
World
Trade
Center .
It is the fifth in a new class of warship –
designed for missions that include special
operations against terrorists. It will carry a
crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines
to be delivered ashore by helicopters and
assault craft.


Steel
from the
World
Trade
Center was melted
down in a foundry in
Amite , LA  to
cast the ship’s bow section. When it was poured
into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, ‘those big rough
steelworkers treated it with total reverence,’
recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there.

‘It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.’

Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that
when the trade center steel first arrived, he
touched it with his hand and the ‘hair on my
neck stood up.’ ‘It had a big meaning to it for
all of us,’ he said. ‘They knocked us down. They
can’t keep us down. We’re going to be
back.’


The
ship’s motto?

‘Never Forget’

Please keep
this going so everyone can see what we are made
of in this country!

George W. Bush

Remarks at the National Day of Prayer & Remembrance

delivered 14 September 2001, Episcopal National Cathedral

We are here in the middle hour of our grief. So many have suffered so great a loss, and today we express our nation’s sorrow. We come before God to pray for the missing and the dead, and for those who loved them. On Tuesday, our country was attacked with deliberate and massive cruelty. We have seen the images of fire and ashes and bent steel.

Now come the names, the list of casualties we are only beginning to read:  http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/lists/by-name/

They are the names of men and women who began their day at a desk or in an airport, busy with life.

They are the names of people who faced death and in their last moments called home to say, be brave and I love you.

They are the names of passengers who defied their murderers and prevented the murder of others on the ground.

They are the names of men and women who wore the uniform of the United States and died at their posts.

They are the names of rescuers — the ones whom death found running up the stairs and into the fires to help others.

We will read all these names. We will linger over them and learn their stories, and many Americans will weep.

To the children and parents and spouses and families and friends of the lost, we offer the deepest sympathy of the nation. And I assure you, you are not alone. Just three days removed from these events, Americans do not yet have the distance of history, but our responsibility to history is already clear: to answer these attacks and rid the world of evil.

War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others; it will end in a way and at an hour of our choosing. Our purpose as a nation is firm, yet our wounds as a people are recent and unhealed and lead us to pray. In many of our prayers this week, there’s a searching and an honesty. At St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, on Tuesday, a woman said, “I pray to God to give us a sign that He’s still here.”

Others have prayed for the same, searching hospital to hospital, carrying pictures of those still missing. God’s signs are not always the ones we look for. We learn in tragedy that His purposes are not always our own, yet the prayers of private suffering, whether in our homes or in this great cathedral are known and heard and understood. There are prayers that help us last through the day or endure the night. There are prayers of friends and strangers that give us strength for the journey, and there are prayers that yield our will to a Will greater than our own.

This world He created is of moral design. Grief and tragedy and hatred are only for a time. Goodness, remembrance and love have no end, and the Lord of life holds all who die and all who mourn.

It is said that adversity introduces us to ourselves. This is true of a nation as well. In this trial, we have been reminded and the world has seen that our fellow Americans are generous and kind, resourceful and brave.

We see our national character in rescuers working past exhaustion, in long lines of blood donors, in thousands of citizens who have asked to work and serve in any way possible.

And we have seen our national character in eloquent acts of sacrifice:

Inside the World Trade Center, one man who could have saved himself stayed until the end and at the side of his quadriplegic friend.

A beloved priest died giving the last rites to a firefighter.

Two office workers, finding a disabled stranger, carried her down 68 floors to safety.

A group of men drove through the night from Dallas to Washington to bring skin grafts for burned victims.

In these acts and many others, Americans showed a deep commitment to one another and an abiding love for our country.

Today, we feel what Franklin Roosevelt called, “the warm courage of national unity.” This is a unity of every faith and every background. It has joined together political parties and both houses of Congress. It is evident in services of prayer and candlelight vigils and American flags, which are displayed in pride and waved in defiance. Our unity is a kinship of grief and a steadfast resolve to prevail against our enemies. And this unity against terror is now extending across the world.

America is a nation full of good fortune, with so much to be grateful for, but we are not spared from suffering. In every generation, the world has produced enemies of human freedom. They have attacked America because we are freedom’s home and defender, and the commitment of our Fathers is now the calling of our time.

On this national day of prayer and remembrance, we ask Almighty God to watch over our nation and grant us patience and resolve in all that is to come. We pray that He will comfort and console those who now walk in sorrow. We thank Him for each life we now must mourn, and the promise of a life to come.

As we’ve been assured, neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities, nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth can separate us from God’s love.¹ May He bless the souls of the departed. May He comfort our own. And may He always guide our country.

God bless America.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911prayer&memorialaddress.htm

Posted in 9-11, Civics, family support, IAVA, In Memory, Poems, Post Tramatic Stress, Quote, Soldier's Angels, support the troops, Veterans, Video, wounded warrior. Tags: , , , . Comments Off on September 11th 9-11 NEVER FORGET

“Here’s to the Heroes”

August 5, 2009 — olotliny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL-0mdEg0U4

The other day, I just finished reading:  Flag of our Fathers. (written by the Navy core man’s son-whose father is immortalized in the famous flag raising photograph http://www.iwojima.com/raising/raisingb.htm  on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima…his dad had told him–the real heroes of that long battle were the ones who didn’t come back….profound….)  It was a really good book–it brought Iwo Jima –  Sulfur Island, the Marines, the Japanese and the history to life in a very real, personal level.  http://www.amazon.com/Flags-Our-Fathers-James-Bradley/dp/0553111337#reader –with thoughts today on all the heroes of yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Thanks Marine mom Pat for sending/sharing the video.  Semper Fi.

“Here’s to the heroes,
Those few who dare,
Heading for glory,
Living a prayer.

Here’s to the heroes
Who change our lives.
Thanks to the heroes,
Freedom survives.

Here’s to the heroes
Who never rest.
They are the chosen,
We are the blessed.

Here’s to the heroes
Who aim so high.
Here’s to the heroes
Who do or die.

Here’s to the heroes
Who aim so high.
Here’s to the heroes
Who do or die.
Here’s to the heroes
Who do or die.”

http://www.lyricstime.com/the-ten-tenors-here-s-to-the-heroes-lyrics.html

Navajo Code Talkers to Walk in NYC Veterans Day Parade

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,573610,00.html

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

AP

NEW YORK —

The famed Navajo Code Talkers, the elite Marine unit whose unbreakable code stymied the Japanese in World War II, fear their legacy will die with them.

Only about 50 of the 400 Code Talkers are believed to be still alive, most living in the Navajo Nation reservation that spans Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Many are frail or ill, with little time left to tell the world about their wartime contribution.

But on Wednesday, 13 of the Code Talkers are coming to New York City to participate for the first time in the nation’s largest Veterans Day parade.

The young Navajo Marines, using secret Navajo language-encrypted military terms, helped the U.S. prevail at Iwo Jima and other World War II Pacific battles, serving in every Marine assault in the South Pacific between 1942-1945. Military commanders said the code, transmitted verbally by radio, helped save countless American lives and bring a speedier end to the war in the Pacific theater.

They were sworn to secrecy about their code, so complex that even other Navajo Marines couldn’t decipher it. Used to transmit secret tactical messages via radio or telephone, the code remained unbroken and classified for decades because of its potential postwar use.

“We were never told that our code was never decoded” or given identities of the original 29 Navajos who created it, said Keith Little, 85, who joined the Marines at 17 and remembers crouching in a bomb crater amid heavy fire on Iwo Jima.

“It was all covered by secrecy. We were constantly told not to talk about it,” said Little. The Code Talkers felt compelled to honor their secrecy orders, even after the code was declassified in 1968.

Little plans to go to New York with the other Code Talkers, many of whom were young farmers and sheepherders and had never been away from home before the war.

“The code did a lot of damage to the enemy,” said Samuel Tom Holiday, 85, of Kayenta, Ariz., who also is joining the parade. He was a 20-year-old Code Talker when he and two other Marines went behind enemy lines on Iwo Jima to locate a Japanese artillery unit advancing on American forces.

Once the unit was located, Holiday transmitted a coded message to Marine artillery, which fired a big shell at the Japanese. After the Marine rifleman proclaimed it “right on target,” Holiday messaged “Right on Target” to a Najavo Code Talker in Marine artillery.

Though the Code Talkers transmitted information on tactics and troop movements, orders and other vital battlefield communications, they did not know at the time how those messages figured in the greater battle strategy.

Today “there’s a certain elation about” knowing how much their work affected the outcome of the war, said Little, who runs a family ranch in Crystal, N.M., on the Navajo Nation.

Before the code, the Japanese intercepted and sabotaged U.S. military communications at an alarming rate because they had expert English translators. American forces then devised ever more complicated codes, but that increased the time — sometimes hours — for sending and decoding them.

The code, based on the ancient Navajo language, changed that. In the first 48 hours of the battle of Iwo Jima, six Code Talkers worked nonstop, transmitting and receiving more than 800 messages about troop movement and enemy fire — none deciphered by the Japanese. What confounded the enemy most was that Code Talkers could use distinctly different words for exactly the same message.

Recognition from the U.S. government and awareness of the Code Talkers — even within the Navajo community — has been slow to come. It wasn’t until 2000 that the Congressional Gold Medal was bestowed on the survivors of the original 29 Code Talkers and silver medals on the rest.

At least five of the Code Talkers died just this year, creating an urgency for the Navajo Code Talkers Foundation to create a museum in their honor in New Mexico, near the Navajo capital of Window Rock, Ariz. It is slated to open sometime in 2012.

Yvonne Murphy, a foundation board member and daughter of Code Talker Raymond R. Smith Sr., who died seven years ago, did not hear of the Code Talkers until she was 16.

“I saw this outfit lying on the bed … a Marine gold-colored shirt,” she said, the uniform of the Code Talkers, laid out with some Navajo jewelry. But it wasn’t until she was in her 30s, “that I was able to grasp the whole concept,” added Murphy, 45.

The Code Talkers coming to New York this week hope to highlight their efforts and funding needs for the museum, slated to open sometime in 2012.

On Tuesday, they will visit ground zero and the World War II aircraft carrier the USS Intrepid, where they will give a proclamation on behalf of the Navajo Nation to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“A lot more Marines would be dead right now,” if not for the Code Talkers, said parade chairman Patrick Gualtieri.

“Our language was used to help win the war,” said Holiday.

“After we’re all gone, there will be no one to tell the story.”

Some links:

“Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima. http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-2.htm

“In the battle for Iwo Jima, in the first 48 hours alone, they coded over 800 transmissions with perfect accuracy. Their heroism is widely acknowledged as the lynchpin of victory in the pivotal conflict.”    http://www.navajocodetalkers.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_talker

Posted in 9-11, Civics, IAVA, In Memory, P.O.W.-M.I.A., Poems, Quote, support the troops, Veterans, Video, wounded warrior. Tags: . Comments Off on “Here’s to the Heroes”

Well worth a stamp

June 20, 2009 — olotliny

Dear Friends,

I would imagine most have heard/read/watched  U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer show her contempt/disrespect of Brigadier General Michael Walsh-with his addressing her as:  “ma’am”.  …….  yet another day/incident of the disconnect-disrespect-clueless-vindictive-spiteful-contempt….treatment/slight of politicians directed toward military…

As a mom of a service man..with another son just about to enlist…and as an American citizen who understands that as a representative democracy–this Senator is supposed to be an extension/representative of me/us as American citizens…  I can just “eat it”/do nothing/shake my head in disgust at the chronic/entrenched mistreatment/disrespect of our servicemen/women — or— I can spend a minute— inform and remind the Senator– that I (as a US citizen)  find her behavior unprofessional and unbecoming a representative of the citizentry of America.

Black Five has an article on their blog-from a retired army officer-that explains the protocol of titles… (link at the bottom of my rant =)
Their article includes information from a Gold Star dad (Gold star–is given when a son/daughter dies in the line of duty..) who has an address to the Senator to connect her back with “We the People”…..

Eleanor Roosevelt said:  “Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.”

I’m sending mine-as I conclude this letter to you. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Proud Navy Mom/grateful American Citizen

Here is her address/contact:

United State Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
(202) 224-0454 fax

Some links:

http://www.blackfive.net/
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/officers.html
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Eleanor_Roosevelt

Posted in Civics, family support, In Memory, P.O.W.-M.I.A., Quote, support the troops, Veterans. Tags: . Comments Off on Well worth a stamp

“deeply sadened” 2 days later– America where is your voice?? America where is your heart???

June 4, 2009 — olotliny

“I am deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence against two brave young soldiers who were doing their part to strengthen our armed forces and keep our country safe. I would like to wish Quinton Ezeagwula a speedy recovery, and to offer my condolences and prayers to William Long’s family as they mourn the loss of their son.”

Above is the entire quote from President Barrack Obama–2 days after the murder/assasination of 23-year-old Pvt. William Long on American soil in front of a Recruiter Station.

It took our president 2 days-to come up with that?

Where is the condemnation???of such a pre-meditated act of violence/murder to a member of the armed forces–a person who has taken an oath-as our president to protect and defend against  all enemies both foreign and domestic.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525584,00.html

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0609/628798.html

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0609/628585.html

Where is the public outrage??? from fellow Americans at the murder of one of our sons on American soil?  Targeted because he wore the uniform of service.  Recruiter stations have been targeted before–remember???

 
 
Please consider sending out a condolence card to Pvt. William Long’s parents. Pvt William Long 23, was gun downed/murdered/assassinated while wearing his uniform outside a Little Rock, AR recruiting station.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524833,00.htmlI found out via Michelle Malkin’s site–the funeral home–so send this on to all you know–to get condolences cards out to his mom/dad:Griffin Leggett – Conway Funeral Home
1751 Dave Ward Drive
Conway, AR 72034
Phone: (501) 327-5000
http://www.griffinleggettconway.com

http://www.griffinleggettconway.com/obituaries/tribute.html?url=http://stei-23673.tributes.com/show/William-Long-86049063

By clicking the link above–you can send on-line condolences to Pvt. William Long’s parents/family.

The Patriot Guard site/link has the address to the church if you’d rather send the cards there.

Patriot Guard is on duty: http://patriotguard.org/Forums/tabid/61/postid/1166858/view/topic/Default.aspx

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/06/the_death_of_private_william_l.html

 

Man Claims Terror Ties in Little Rock Shooting

MEMPHIS — A Tennessee man accused of killing a soldier outside a Little Rock, Ark., military recruiting station last year has asked a judge to change his plea to guilty, claiming for the first time that he is affiliated with a Yemen-based affiliate of Al Qaeda.

In a letter to the judge presiding over his case, the accused killer, Abdulhakim Muhammad, calls himself a soldier in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and calls the shooting “a Jihadi Attack” in retribution for the killing of Muslims by American troops.

“I wasn’t insane or post traumatic nor was I forced to do this Act,” Mr. Muhammad said in a two-page, hand-printed note in pencil. The attack, which he said did not go as planned, was “justified according to Islamic Laws and the Islamic Religion. Jihad — to fight those who wage war on Islam and Muslims.”

It remains unclear whether Mr. Muhammad really has ties to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which President Obama has said is behind the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an American plane by a Nigerian man.

But if evidence emerges that his claim is true, it will give the June 1, 2009, shooting in Little Rock new significance at a time when Yemen is being more closely scrutinized as a source of terrorist plots against the United States.

Mr. Muhammad, 24, a Muslim convert from Memphis, spent about 16 months in Yemen starting in the fall of 2007, ostensibly teaching English and learning Arabic. During that time, he married a woman from south Yemen. But he was also imprisoned for several months because he overstayed his visa and was holding a fraudulent Somali passport, the Yemen government said.

Under pressure from the United States government, Yemen deported Mr. Muhammad in late January 2009. But just four months after his return, Mr. Muhammad used a semiautomatic rifle to gun down two soldiers — Pvt. William A. Long and Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula — while they were standing outside a military recruiting station in Little Rock, killing Private Long and wounding Private Ezeagwula.

After the shooting, Mr. Muhammad pleaded not guilty, but also took responsibility for the shootings in interviews with The Associated Press. But he did not acknowledge being part of an extremist group and some terrorism experts came to view him as a self-radicalized, lone actor.

In his letter to Herb Wright Jr., a Pulaski County circuit judge, Mr. Muhammad calls himself a member of “Abu Basir’s Army,” an apparent reference to Naser Abdel-Karim al-Wahishi, the Yemen group’s leader, who also goes by the name Abu Basir.

Mr. Muhammad’s father, Melvin Bledsoe, a Memphis businessman, said that while he believes his son may have been radicalized in Yemen, he doubts whether he has serious ties to the Qaeda affiliate.

He suggested that Mr. Muhammad might be trying to link himself to Al Qaeda because he believes it will lead to his execution and make him a martyr. Mr. Bledsoe added that he considers his son “unable to process” reality, describing him as “brainwashed.”

“I think a lot of this is make-believe,” Mr. Bledsoe said in an interview.

A spokesman for the F.B.I. declined to comment about Mr. Muhammad, citing an order against public statements in the case by Judge Wright.

Mr. Muhammad’s lawyer, Claiborne Ferguson, said his client had not discussed changing his plea to guilty before he wrote the letter, which is dated Jan. 12. He said the prosecutor would have to agree before the judge would consider the request.

Mr. Muhammad is charged with capital murder, attempted capital murder and 10 counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty on the capital murder charge.

John M. DiPippa, dean of the Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, said a judge could only accept a guilty plea in a capital case if he determines that the defendant is mentally competent and not under duress. Mr. Muhammad is in the process of being evaluated by a psychologist, his father said.

Mr. DiPippa said the prosecutor would also have to waive the death penalty, something he may be unwilling to do. Mr. DiPippa added that “the only way it would make sense” for a defendant to plead guilty in a capital case “is to avoid the death penalty.”

In an interview, the prosecutor, Larry Jegley, said it was highly unlikely that he would waive the death penalty, adding, “We’re on” for a trial.

Even before the Christmas Day bombing attempt, Yemen had come under closer scrutiny by American officials, because the soldier charged in the Fort Hood shootings, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, exchanged e-mail messages with a radical cleric in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki.

This week, a report by the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asserted that as many as 36 American Muslims who were prisoners have moved to Yemen in recent months, ostensibly to study Arabic, and that several of them may have linked up with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Steve Barnes contributed reporting from Little Rock, Ark.

Posted in 9-11, Civics, family support, In Memory, Quote, support the troops, Video. Tags: , , , , , , . Comments Off on “deeply sadened” 2 days later– America where is your voice?? America where is your heart???

Colonel Bud Day, Medal of Honor recipient – prisoner of war survivor

June 3, 2009 — olotliny

The below is from a man who knows, Medal of Honor Recipient Col. Bud Day.

Sarge

(C.L. thanks for sending this on—Colonel Bud Day endured 5 1/2 YEARS of horrific brutal torture.)

Admiral James Stockale survived 7 years as a prisoner of war–think about that—

four years in solitary confinement,

two years confined to leg irons……

“Unity above Self” — a motto/creed that sustained these men and inspired those around them…

http://www.usna.edu/Ethics/stockdalelbio.htm )

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

http://www.admiralstockdale.com/

51lA36zMy4L._SL500_AA246_PIkin2,BottomRight,-15,34_AA280_SH20_OU01_

.     The prelude to the “response” below, from Colonel Bud Day, Medal of Honor recipient – prisoner of war survivor – reads “I didn’t expect to be reminded of my treatment some 36 years ago on this holiday weekend but our politicians find it worthy to ignore what some have tried to recount to them, who have actually been there.”
****************************************************************************
I got shot down over N Vietnam in 1967…a sq commander.

After I returned in 1973…  I published 2 books that dealt a lot with “real torture” in Hanoi.  Our president is branding our country as a bunch of torturers when he has no idea what torture is.

As for me…put thru a mock execution because I would not respond…pistol whipped on the head…same event…  Couple of days later…hung by my feet all day. I escaped and got recaptured a couple of weeks later…  I got shot and recaptured.  Shot was OK…what happened after was not.

They marched me to Vinh…  put me in the rope trick, trick…almost pulled my arms out of the sockets. Beat me on the head with a little wooden rod until my eyes were swelled shut, and my unshot, unbroken hand a pulp.

Next day hung me by the arms…rebroke my right wrist…wiped out the nerves in my arms that control the hands…rolled my fingers up into a ball.  Only left the slightest movement of my L forefinger.  So I started answering with some incredible lies.

Sent me to Hanoi strapped to a barrel of gas in the back of a truck.

Hanoi…on my knees…rope trick again.  Beaten by a big fool.

Into leg irons on a bed in Heartbreak Hotel.

Much kneeling–hands up at Zoo.

Really bad beating for refusing to condemn Lyndon Johnson.

Several more kneeling events.  I could see my knee bone thru kneeling holes.

There was an escape from the annex to the Zoo.  I was the Senior Officer of a large building because of escape…they started a mass torture of all commanders.

I think it was July 7, 1969…they started beating me with a car fan belt.  In first 2 days I took over 300 strokes…then stopped counting because I never thought I would live thru it.

They continued day-night torture to get me to confess to a non-existent part in the escape.  This went on for at least 3 days.  On my knees…fan belting…  cut open my scrotum with fan belt stroke.  Opened up both knee holes again.  My fanny looked like hamburger…I could not lie on my back.

They tortured me into admitting that I was in on the escape…and that my 2 room-mates knew about it.

The next day I denied the lie.

They commenced torturing me again with 3- 6- or 9 strokes of the fan belt every day from about July 11 or 12rh…to 14 October 1969.  I continued to refuse to lie about my roommates again.

Now, the point of this is that our president has declared to the world that we (U.S.) are a bunch of torturers…  Thus it will be OK to torture us next time when they catch us….because that is what the U.S.  does.

Our president is a know nothing who thinks that pouring a little water on some one’s face, or hanging a pair of woman’s pants over an Arabs head is TORTURE.

I just talked to MOH holder Leo Thorsness http://www.pbs.org/weta/americanvalor/stories/thorsness.html who was also in my sq in jail…. as was John McCain … and we agree that McCain does not speak for the POW group when he claims that Al Gharib was torture… or that “water boarding” is torture.

Point out the stupidity of the claims that water boarding …which has no after effect… is torture.  If it got the Arab to cough up the story about how he planned the attack on the twin towers in NYC … hurrah for the guy who poured the water.

BUD DAY, MOH

——————————————————

Below:  a link to an excellent/detailed article about Colonel Bud Day–more graphic torture then what is mentioned above…

The article mentions/documents too, how in 1990 he fought again for all the Veterans and servicemen/women when the government denied health care for Veterans and stated that those who served did so at their own risk….  John McCain is in the article-and documents how he was instrumental in getting TRICARE going with Col. Bud Day.

(I posted/shared this-not aiming to tarnish or detract anything from John McCain or any other Veteran–who can really/rightly judge anyone unless they’ve really have walked in their shoes?– Colonel Bud Day being a P.O.W. has the moral authority to raise/answer questions about the what/how/meaning of torture-as do any of the other surviving P.O.W. who survived the years of brutality and torture.

For one who survived-the repeated life threatening marathons of tortures and the memories of  their brothers who did not—from their perspective—trying to equate water boarding of only three terrorist to a regime of years of disabling/disfiguring/life threating torture of many  gives clarity and insight to an issue that has been used politically to divide our country rather than unite it in strength…..  Colonel Bud Day MOH, once again deserves our respect/thanks in his dedicated service to our country.

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/TVNews/Nightly%20News/photos/bud%20Day%20Article.pdf

http://www.historynet.com/bud-day-vietnam-war-pow-hero.htm/5

http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,MoH_George_Day,00.html

“Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.”

Thomas Jefferson


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rih6YOetrw

Posted in 9-11, Civics, From the Troops, In Memory, P.O.W.-M.I.A., Quote, support the troops, Veterans. Tags: , , . 1 Comment »

Memorial Day-“honor the dead by taking care of the living”-VFW motto

May 20, 2009 — olotliny

Are we arrogant??? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Y3UdtObJo

In alphabetical order. Just Europe…

1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France. A total of 2289 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/am.php

2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium. A total of 5329 of our dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ar.php

3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France. A total of 4410 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/br.php

4. Brookwood, England American Cemetery. A total of 468 of our dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/bk.php

5. Cambridge, England. 3812 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ca.php

7. Flanders Field, Belgium. A total of 368 of our military. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ff.php

8. Florence, Italy. A total of 4402 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/fl.php

9. Henri-Chapels, Belgium. A total of 7992 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/hc.php

10. Lorraine, France. A total of 10,489 of our military dead.  http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/lo.php

11. Luxembourg, Luxembourg. A total of 5076 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/lx.php

12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ma.php

13. Netherlands, Netherlands. A total of 8301 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ne.php

14. Normandy, France. A total of 9387 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/no.php

15. Oise-Aisne, France. A total of 6012 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/oa.php

16. Rhone, France. A total of 861 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/rh.php

17. Sicily, Italy. A total of 7861 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/sr.php

18. Somme, France. A total of 1844 of our military dead http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/so.php

19. St. Mihiel, France. A total of 4153 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/sm.php

20. Suresnes, France. A total of 1541 of our military dead. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/su.php

Apologize to no one.

IF I ADDED CORRECTLY THE COUNT IS 104,366, Note the thousands of service men missing (M.I.A.).

(Above post from my Uncle who served.  Thanks Uncle J. Cartoons from Donna-army and Pat- Marine moms of service men-my friends/sisters.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94sKpxsVJw0&NR=1

Posted in Civics, In Memory, P.O.W.-M.I.A., Poems, Quote, support the troops, Veterans, Video, wounded warrior. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment »
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