A reminder for all - Return of the Fallen

A reminder to all - while you are safe at home, brave young men & women put themselves in harm's way to secure our freedoms and the freedom of others.

Read the whole thing - It is in rememberance that we honor those who gave the last full measure of their efforts for all of us.

Enclosed is one of 41 pictures contained at the enclosed link

Thanks for taking time to remember these fine young men and women from our military and from our allies who fight side by side with us.


http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/09/afghanistan-august-2012-return-of-the-fallen/100364/?google_editors_picks=true

Mother of a Fallen US Navy SEAL speaks about what is important to her while a self absorbed POL focuses on only on himself

Thanks to Gateway pundit for putting this video front and center. It needs to be seen by all those who care about our nation and those who swore the oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foriegn and domestic.

All our prayers and thoughts to Karen and Billy Vaughn. True Patriots, Shipmates in the US Navy and all others will never forget the sacrifice your son made and your sacrifice for giving us your son to defend our nation and way of life.

Empty words from politicians and a self absorbed President mean little to the Mother of this fine Patriot. To Obama, this warrior was one more political pawn.

To a grieving Mother and Father, this was their little boy, a son who was only theirs for a short and meaingful life, given freely to preserve our Nation.

Echoes from a Sacred Space at FOB Frontenac, Afghanistan

The enclosed info was something I had seen back in early 2010 when I was doing a bit of FOB-Hopping around Afghanistan. I came across it in some notes I had rediscovered.

What I had witnessed at FOB FRONTENAC - The name comes from Fort Frontenac, a French fort and trading post located in what is now Kingston, Ontario

– I went there on a two day helicopter hop from hell.  I was there to do a town hall meeting and see if any of their staff would work for the company I was working with at the time.  I had wrenched the crap outta my arm getting off a helo about three weeks earlier and it was killing me.
 
The Pain was an " 11 " on the scale of  1-10 as I managed to have two tendons pop off the bone in my right arm in the process of getting blown off my feet by prop wash from a helo.

Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.  Then, I saw something that put it all in perspective.  Here are my notes from back then.  I am still in awe of what was on this FOB out in the middle of nowhere in Afghanistan.  Here's what I had written in 2010:

FOB FRONTENAC - AFGHANISTAN

The picture directly below is from Micheal Yon's report on this Sacred Space -- the others enclosed are the ones I took while I was there.

Enclosed are pictures from Camp Frontenac - a small FOB about 20 miles north of Kandahar...I took a hop there over the last week to do a meet n' greet with some potential new employees from another company. Middleboro Jones riding our company helicopters to get there and then getting stuck there for a day as there were no flights back that day....The next day, I caught a hop back to Kandahar with the Special Forces guys in a helicopter with no lettering or markings on it....if you want to get to where you need to go here, sometimes you have to just go with the flow...no questions asked.

Next to the Chapel, the Chaplain has erected a teepee which holds the pictures of the 21 soldiers lost from the 1-17, the Buffalo Brigade - to see this beautiful sacred space in the midst of all the harshness of the environment here is something beyond words. I stepped into the teepee and viewed the pictures and said a prayer.

There are moments of ultimate beauty here in a harsh landscape, and moments of incredible clarity - seeing how precious life really is.....It is something that is lost on most us during our day-to-day existence. We lose sight of what is really important, and how quickly it can be taken from us if we are not careful.

A prayer for the Brave Buffalo Soldiers and one of thankfulness for all that the LORD has provided to me. I am truly blessed and I was grateful for the reminder.

FLAG DAY 2012

It is right and just that we have a day to honor our Flag.  A symbol of Liberty around the world and one that has been defended by millions who wore the uniform of our military since the first flags in the 1770's.  It has taken many shapes and has changed but OLD GLORY bows to no one.

The picture of  our flag at right was taken at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan while I was there.  The flag shown was being flown in honor of a highschool classmate who perished at the World Trade Center on 09/11/2001.

Celebrate Flag Day by remembering all she stands for today and all those who stood up for her in the history of our great land.

 

I am the Flag

by Ruth Apperson Rous

I am the flag of the United States of America.

I was born on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia.

There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag.

My thirteen stripes alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind.

Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known.

My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of my country.

My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters.

My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all.

My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.

I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity.

I embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home.

I typify that indomitable spirit of determination brought to my land by Christopher Columbus and by all my forefathers - the Pilgrims, Puritans, settlers at James town and Plymouth.

I am as old as my nation.

I am a living symbol of my nation's law: the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

I voice Abraham Lincoln's philosophy: "A government of the people, by the people,for the people."

I stand guard over my nation's schools, the seedbed of good citizenship and true patriotism.

I am displayed in every schoolroom throughout my nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display.

Daily thousands upon thousands of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my country.

I have my own law—Public Law 829, "The Flag Code" - which definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and situations.

I have my special day, Flag Day. June 14 is set aside to honor my birth.

Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country. I symbolize your birthright, your heritage of liberty purchased with blood and sorrow.

I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for posterity.

If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become slaves to dictators and despots.

Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom.

As you see me silhouetted against the peaceful skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of your country, that I stand for what you are - no more, no less.

Guard me well, lest your freedom perish from the earth.

Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I was created in freedom. I made my first appearance in a battle for human liberty.

God grant that I may spend eternity in my "land of the free and the home of the brave" and that I shall ever be known as "Old Glory," the flag of the United States of America.

MEMORIAL DAY - May we never forget those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom

A good article from the National Geographic about how Memorial Day has been changed by our society and how there is movement to change the date back to the original date of May 30th, regardless of where it falls on the calendar.

It is my hope that our citizens never forget how much others have sacrificed for our freedom.

The enclosed picture was one I took when I visited Arlington National Cemetery in 2010 for the funeral of a fallen US Marine.

Memorial Day: How It's Changed, Why Some Oppose 3-Day Weekend

Day of remembrance lost in swirl of summer kickoff?

Brian Handwerk

for National Geographic News

Published May 25, 2012

Every year Memorial Day brings people together in the United States to honor fallen service members on the last Monday in May.

Since its post-Civil War beginnings, the holiday has changed considerably and now may be best known as the start of summer vacation season—prompting some critics to call for moving the date away from a three-day weekend.

Unlike Veterans Day on November 11, which honors all who have served their country, Memorial Day is set aside for special remembrance of those who laid down their lives for U.S. national defense.

Despite the modern spirit of patriotic camaraderie, Memorial Day has its roots in one of the most divisive events in U.S. history: the Civil War.

Soon after the bloody conflict ceased, General John A. Logan—commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans—called for a holiday to be observed every year on May 30.

At the time, that holiday was known as Decoration Day, because Logan wanted to honor the fallen by "strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating, the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion."

But many Civil War memorial ceremonies actually predated Logan's first Decoration Day, which was held at Arlington National Cemetery in 1868. More than two dozen U.S. cities claim to have hosted the first Decoration Day or Memorial Day.

In 1966, the U.S. Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized Waterloo, New York, as the "birthplace" of Memorial Day, based on a May 5, 1866, service held to honor local veterans, which included citywide events and the closings of local businesses.
The first national Memorial Day holiday, designated by Congress, was held in 1971.

Memorial Day a "Sacrosanct" Observance

In the years just after the Civil War, Northern and Southern Memorial Day services didn't necessarily honor the same soldiers.

But since World War I, the holiday has gathered the nation together to honor all men and women who've lost their lives in conflict, from the American Revolution to the present day battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Over the decades the name of the holiday has shifted as well, with Memorial Day gradually becoming the common moniker.

Now in cemeteries across the United States veterans and citizens alike hold ceremonies, and the graves of the fallen are adorned with flowers and U.S. flags.

"We believe that Memorial Day is a sacrosanct national observance for the entire country," said John Raughter, communications director for the American Legion, a nonprofit organization of veterans helping veterans.

Smaller local observances, in which citizens honor veterans known to their communities, remain as links to the original spirit of Decoration Day, he said.

"Thankfully most communities in this country recognize this, and we are grateful that they have observances and ceremonies on the local level. Those are very important."
An End to Memorial Day Weekend?

Due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968—which moved observances of several holidays to create long weekends—Memorial Day has for decades been held on the last Monday in May.

But some groups, including the American Legion, hope for a return to the original May 30 observance, to truly set the day apart.

"The majority of Americans view Memorial Day as a time for relaxation and leisure recreation rather than as a solemn occasion and a time to reflect and pay tribute to the American servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives in defense of our Nation," according to an American Legion resolution issued at the group's 2010 National Convention.

Instead of being part of a long weekend, the resolution asks that Congress "restore the official observance of Memorial Day to May 30 and that all American institutions toll their bells for one minute, beginning at 11:00, on that date in remembrance of those who died defending the Nation."

Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, has several times introduced legislation favoring a shift of Memorial Day back to May 30.
(Related pictures: "World War II 'Time Capsule' Fighter Found in Sahara.")
And some communities still observe the original date with solemn parades and other services of remembrance.

Since 2000 people across the U.S. have also been asked to observe a national moment of remembrance at 3:00 p.m. local time on the official national holiday. Flags are flown at half staff until noon, to signify a day of mourning.

"I think people are realizing again that Memorial Day is not about picnics, ball games, or going to the beach," the American Legion's Raughter said.

"There's nothing wrong with those things and enjoying the lifestyle that we have," he added. "But remember that the lifestyle that we have in America—the ability to enjoy a long weekend—was made possible by the nearly one million men and women who have died in service to this country since the American Revolution."

Perhaps the fact that so many of today's U.S. troops are in harm's way, serving in dangerous overseas deployments, has sparked a bit more solemnity, no matter which date is observed, Raughter suggested.

"We seem to remember when we see young men and women come back wounded, amputees, or hear of people we know who made the supreme sacrifice," he said.
"It's a shame that it sometimes takes a war to remind us of the heroes that we have, because even during peacetime, the vets are still with us, and they should be remembered at all times, not only when the guns are firing."

MEMORIAL DAY 2012 - It isn't about the BBQs and a trip to Cape Cod

It is one of the ways that things have changed over the last 30 years or so that has bothered me.  Memorial Day Weekend used to be a solemn occasion where all understood it was to honor those who were lost in battle defending our country.

Now, it gets treated as just another three day weekend that people take off to go to the Cape.  I am glad to see the sea of flags that has graced the Boston Common as this is what this weekend is all about.  More people need to take part in ceremonies that most towns hold this Monday as it is vital we pay homage to those who have sacrificed for our freedom.

About 200 volunteers planted 33,000 flags on the Boston Common today to represent Massachusetts soldiers killed since the Civil War.  We remember their sacrifice this weekend and always.

Families of soldiers lost in war plant flags on Boston Common and recall their bravery
By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

Marine Private Daniel McGuire was born in Middleborough and grew up on the Cape. He played a little bit of lacrosse and loved theater. He was the oldest of four boys and was 19 when he was standing at his post in the middle of the night in Fallujah, Iraq. It was Aug. 14. 2008, a year and a day after he enlisted. His post was attacked, and he was fatally shot.

“The key is, for us as parents, I don’t need you to pay constant tribute to my son, I can do that, but just don’t forget him,’’ said Mark McGuire, who planted a US flag today for his son in a flowing display of 33,000 flags covering a grassy hill at the Boston Common near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. About 200 volunteers on Wednesday planted the flags, one for each Massachusetts servicemember killed in action since the Civil War.

A final 159 flags were added today for the Massachusetts servicemembers killed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

An hour-long event at the Common, the “Massachusetts Military Heroes” ceremony, was attended by a crowd of about 300 people, including Governor Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Attorney General Martha Coakley, and about 20 families of servicemembers killed in action.

Family members read off the names of the 159 in a “roll call.”

McGuire, 49, of Mashpee, had a message for the crowds that are sure to head in his direction this Memorial Day Weekend.

“They just need a big banner on the bridge, saying, ‘It’s not about the barbecue.’ Swing by the national cemetery in Bourne. ... You don’t need to know anyone there. Just ride through.”

Mayor Thomas M. Menino sounded a similar theme
.
“There are people going down to the Cape or going to the mountains,’’ he said, standing at a lectern in front of the display of flags. “They forget, they forget the sacrifices made by so many men and women so we could have the freedom in America today.’’

Thomas Crohan, vice president of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, which organized the event, drew the crowd’s attention to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument that serves as a centerpiece to the sprawling Common.

“Its plaque reads in part, ‘To the men of Boston who died for their country on land and sea, the grateful city has built this monument that their example may speak to coming generations,” Crohan said. “We hope these flags speak to the current generation, as a solemn reminder of the enormous sacrifice made by the heroes we honor today.”

Brian R. Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @globeballou.

SEMPER FI...All gave some, some gave all

We support for our military and their families when they need it most

War and what it means

" War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. "

John Stuart Mill
English economist & philosopher (1806 - 1873)

" And the band played Waltzing Matilda" sung by the late great Liam Clancy



Let us never forget and always remember those who sacrificed for our Freedom. We owe all of those who defend our freedom more than we can ever imagine.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all the DADS out there....especially those who are away from home & family serving our Country

All -

I am overseas and this is not the first Father's Day I have had to spend away from home. I send along best wishes to all other Dads from my station here at Bagram Airfield...It is a wistful place to be on Father's day but the reasons to be here are all easily apparent.

As Men and Fathers, we do what we must to ensure that our families receive the things they need spiritually, mentally, morally and monetarily. It is our task in life and we take it on eagerly as we made the decision to be the " Dad ".

A few words from the past that ring true today :

"None of you can ever be proud enough of being the child of such a Father who has not his equal in this world - so great, so good, so faultless. Try, all of you, to follow in his footsteps and don't be discouraged, for to be really in everything like him none of you, I am sure, will ever be. Try, therefore, to be like him in some points, and you will have acquired a great deal."

- Queen Victoria of England

Enclosed is a copy of an article by a 13 year old girl who tells about her military Dad and her wishes of a Happy Father's day to him...very well done by the young lady.

HAPPY DAD's DAY to all DADS out there....especially those who are away from home & family serving our great Country.

A teen's thank-you to her military father
By Sophie Roth-Douquet - USA Today

This Father's Day, I imagine I'll pile store-bought food on paper plates and serve it to my Dad on a big cardboard moving box. That's because we've just arrived in Germany, in the latest of seven moves we've had since I was born.

This makeshift Father's Day is still better than last year, when my Dad and I celebrated via Skype. He was on the other side of the globe, deployed to Afghanistan. That was the fourth Father's Day I've celebrated without him.

So I have to ask: What kind of a father is a man who chooses to be in the military?

I'm a 13-year-old girl. My father is in the Marine Corps, and so I've gone to eight schools since kindergarten. This past move has been especially hard because I had to leave behind such good friends in South Carolina.

My Dad chose to live this life — moving every other year and getting deployed every three years. This is a great choice for him — he's an amazing Marine — but what about his family? Is it a good choice for us?

I've had to make new friends every one to three years. Sometimes I don't even make friends for the first six months, and then much of my time in the new location is already gone by then. I have to adjust to new school systems, sometimes even having to learn a new language.

I have to live without my father for months, or even a year at a time. I worry whether he's safe.

There are easier lives. Ours is challenging. Is it right to choose to raise your child this way?

Another question: Is it a parent's job to make their child's life as easy as possible, or do other lessons matter, too?

As I sit here typing, the idea of an easy life sounds good. On the other hand, as science fiction writer Robert Heinlein advised, "Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy."

I can see Heinlein's point. Have I been handicapped by ease? No. But I haven't been handicapped by military life either, if I reflect on the entire experience.

I've gotten to live all over the world. I've lived on three different continents —North America, Europe and Asia. I've learned new languages, which I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. I have friends around the world. I've gone to a bunch of schools and learned that there are different ways to teach, and to learn. All in all, I've been opened up to the world.

My Dad's work and encouragement has made it impossible for me to be close-minded. I've lived in places with people of every color under the sun and millions of different ideas in their heads. I've also lived in places with single-minded people and little ethnic diversity.

I've had richer experiences than most adults, and I still have my whole life ahead of me. But most importantly, I feel that I help people through my Dad's service. Sure I sacrifice, but I get the sense that Americans appreciate the sacrifices of military families like mine. I like that feeling.

I understand that when things are tough, my family is struggling for something greater than ourselves.

Finally, my Dad has helped me grow and given me plenty of reasons to be proud.

And with that, Happy Father's Day, Dad!


Sophie's family is still getting settled in Germany. Her mother, Kathy Roth-Douquet, is the co-founder of Blue Star Families.

All Gave Some, while some gave all....THANK YOU VETERANS

Never too early or often enough to say "Thank You" to our Veterans....More to follow as we approach November 11th.

Daddy's Poem...(grab a hankie - you may need one)

Daddy's Poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow.Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say. What to tell her classmates of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school eager to tell them all. About a dad she never sees a dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet. Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats

One by one the teacher called a student from the class. To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare. Each of them was searching, a man who wasn't there.

And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say, "Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her, as she smiled up at her Mom. And looked back at her teacher, who told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak. And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away. But I know he wishes he could be, since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know. All about my daddy, and how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories he taught me to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone. And though you cannot see him. I'm not standing here alone.

"Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart I know because he told me, he'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest. Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere there in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears. Proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love of a man not in her life. Doing what was best for her, doing what was a right.

And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd. She finished with a voice so soft, but its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star.. And if he could, he'd be here, but heaven's just too far.

You see he is an American Soldier who died when his convoy was hit by a roadside bomb just this past year.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,it's like he never went away." And then she closed her eyes, and saw him there that day.

And to her mother's amazement, she witnessed with surprise. A room full of daddies and children, all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside. Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy," to the silence she called out. And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed. But there on the desk beside her, was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, by the love of her shining star. And given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too far.

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There must be many children in the same boat as this little girl, thanks to our servicemen and their families for the sacrifice they are making to keep our country free.

Their sacrifice includes when the children & families are left without their loved ones in the defense of our nation. Don't forget them.