Honoring our Fallen, the Arlington Ladies

Memorial Day. A day for honoring the fallen of our nations armed forces. Our national cemetery at Arlington is the final resting place for many of our nations fallen, and one very special group of ladies volunteer to make sure none is buried alone.

Around sixty ladies and one gentleman make up the group known as the Arlington ladies, an all volunteer organization representing the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy, at the funerals of service members and veterans who come to final rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is no Marine Corps representative; however, there is an official from the Corps who is present for the burial of every Marine interred at Arlington.

The Arlington Ladies are comprised of wives and widows of military veterans, and their purpose is simple: to ensure that no one is buried in Arlington with no one in attendance at the funeral, or to provide comfort to the families of those being buried.

A Tradition Is Born

In 1948, Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenberg was living at Fort Myer, Virginia, in a home with a commanding view of the cemetery. He and his wife Gladys often walked there, and noticed airmen being buried with only the chaplain and an honor guard in attendance.

Mrs. Vandenberg enlisted members of the Officers' Wives Club to attend these funerals-without-mourners, and a tradition was born. The "Ladies of Arlington" now are represented by the Army, Navy and the Air Force. The Marine Corps does not have a group, but a representative of the commandant attends every funeral.

There are 23 interments daily, and the ladies are on hand to ensure that none is conducted in a bleak and friendless atmosphere. Even when friends and family are present, the ladies and their escorts, the young active duty men whose job it is to stand at their sides, volunteer their services.

"I always introduce myself to the family as the representative of the chief of staff of the Air Force," said McGuth. "I say that he regrets that he could not be in attendance personally."

Today is the day we, as a nation, pay tribute and honor those who have served our nation's armed forces through remembrance of those veterans and service members who have passed away. For one day, one day of the year, we set aside as reserved for homage to those who have sacrificed that our nation remains free.

A small price for saying "thank you" to the memories of those who served, and those who are no longer with us. And past the department and specialty store sales, the home improvement project specials, the barbeque's, picnics, and the day at the beach, we do remember. Perhaps, by these very acts, we're remembering in a way that would never have been envisioned when Memorial Day was established as a national day of remembrance.

We, Americans, have a great love of life and freedom. We work hard, for the most part, and when we relax, when we play, we like to play every bit as hard and competitively as we work. This is our legacy, and our tradition.

A tradition protected and ensured by our armed forces.

Perhaps, then, it is appropriate, despite what some who would say otherwise, that we do honor our fallen by taking full advantage of a day that we can celebrate life, and the freedom that was earned for us, as citizens, by those who have sacrificed in order for us to continue.

And as we do, let us keep firmly in our minds, and in our hearts, not just today, but every day, a gratitude and a silent thanks to those who gave all. And as we do, let us also give a special thought of gratitude for the Arlington Ladies, who pay remembrance every day at our national cemetery, selflessly giving in their own way to those who pass their way.

A very heartfelt salute to those who have passed on before us...

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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They really don't think, I think...

To all my brother and sister vets out there keeping up the good fight and taking a stand. Word of advice, though, for God's SAKE don't tell them what it means when they don't know something. Keep them looking as dumb as they can when we call them on lying!

From Gathering of Eagles:

AAR Jones Beach Airshow v. Code Pinkos

May 26, 2008

We came, we saw, we triumphed!

Some very irate moonbats stormed away from Jones Beach on Saturday after Eagles warned the unwary visitors to the Memorial Day weekend Airshow that treasonous misfits were disrespecting our fallen heroes. Eagles preceded the moonbats down the boardwalk, educating the many people there as to the disrespect the anti-war crowd were showing to our fallen heroes, their families and to America.

Whenever they stopped to read the names, they were surrounded by a cacaphony of shouts “Shame on You!”.

Another IVAW fraud was outed by Chaplain Dez after he claimed to be a sergeant in the U.S. Army, yet could not tell her his MOS. Fraud and deceit are the stock in trade of the entire anti-war movement and goes hand in glove with their policy of using the names of our fallen heroes for their own craven political theater even when asked by gold star families (who have lost a loved one) to stop using those names.

I really, honestly think that THEY don't use the gray matter God put between their ears to use for reasoning. I honestly think that they are so (mis) guided by their emotions that they have no clue how TO think, let alone understand when other people use reasoning abilities.

And they disgrace our nation in protesting in such manner. Oppose the war, yes, that's fine, but don't try to pass yourself off as one of us, we're going to make you look like the pile of horse shit that you are when you do.

Eagles, well done!

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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Gathering of Eagles update...2MAY08

From Email: “The Sedition Report” Posted: 02 May 2008 07:27 PM CDT Eagles! Look at what Move America Forward has done. Melanie Morgan and her great troop of patriots are making a difference. I smell moonbat blood! Read Mel’s letter first, and then watch the ad. Both are outstanding. Great work, MAF! Larry Bailey Dear Pro-Troop Supporters: I have some great news to share with you!! Please also pass along this information to others who will appreciate the good news. As you know there has sadly been an increasing campaign of violence against military recruiting centers across the nation - conducted by anti-military radicals (who are erroneously referred to as “peace activists” by a sympathetic media). We at Move America Forward researched the vast array of these incidents and compiled them together in “The Sedition Report” which we provided to members of Congress and law enforcement. Today Move America Forward’s legal team received an official response from the U.S. Department of Justice criminal division: “This is in response to your letter to the Criminal Division dated April 3, 2008. on behalf of your client, Move America Forward, Inc., recounting a number of incidences of vandalism and other activities at military recruiting stations.” Much to our delight, the letter went on to say that they had agreed to direct our formal request for an investigation (and appropriate prosecutions based on the results of those investigations), “to Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters for review and appropriate action.” We at Move America Forward will keep pressing forward on this issue. We will not allow our troops to come under attack here on home soil from those who express a seething white hatred towards our military men and women. Over the past several weeks thousands of patriotic Americans provided the financial support that has paid for our legal team to press forward with these efforts. You and other patriots also paid for a television commercial that documented these attacks that has already aired across the nation. VIEW THE AD - HERE Thank you all so much for your continued support of our troops and helping us at Move America Forward to make great progress in our pro-troop efforts. Fondly, Melanie Morgan Chairman, Move America Forward www.MoveAmericaForward.org

The Killing Fields Posted: 02 May 2008 06:12 PM CDT Democrats and the Killing Fields By ARTHUR HERMAN May 1, 2008; Page A17 Most people have never heard of Operation Frequent Wind, which ended on April 30, 1975, 33 years ago. But every American has seen pictures of it: the Marine helicopters evacuating the last U.S. personnel from the embassy in Saigon, hours before communist tanks rolled into the city. Thousands of desperate Vietnamese gathered at the embassy gate and begged to be taken with them. Others committed suicide. Those scenes are a chilling reminder of what happens when a great power decides to cut and run. Two of the three presidential candidates are proposing to do just that in Iraq. We need to remember what happened the last time we gave up on an unpopular foreign policy, not only in humanitarian terms but in terms of American power and prestige. Actually, the U.S. had won the war in Vietnam on the battlefield, just as the surge has done today in Iraq. Over Easter 1972, South Vietnamese forces, backed by U.S. airpower, crushed the last communist offensive, killing nearly 100,000 North Vietnamese troops. The North was forced to sign peace accords in Paris recognizing the Republic of South Vietnam. The last 2,500 U.S. support troops went home. What they left was a fragile but sustainable peace, and an elected government in Saigon that was growing stronger every month. But with 160,000 North Vietnamese soldiers still in South Vietnam, keeping the South free was going to require continued U.S. help, especially air support and military equipment if the North ever attacked again. Democrats and American public opinion, however, had had enough. Much like Iraq today, the vast majority of South Vietnam had been pacified. Its government was taking on difficult but essential political changes, including land reform. The Democratic-controlled Congress, however, did not want to hear about success. They assumed failure in Vietnam would complete their rout of the hated Richard Nixon, who was already out of office thanks to Watergate, and position them for victory in the 1976 presidential election. Meanwhile, the American public had been conditioned by the media to see Vietnam as a failed policy, and taught that America had gotten itself in the middle of a “civil war” which the Vietnamese had to sort out themselves. Once the last American troops left Vietnam, public opinion would never tolerate re-entry into a war widely seen as a blunder and endless quagmire. In early 1975 the communists launched a massive attack. President Gerald Ford asked for $1 billion in supplemental funds to help the South Vietnamese, and Congress refused. They had already pulled the plug on the U.S.-supported government of Lon Nol in Cambodia. Ford had no choice but to order the evacuation of remaining U.S. personnel. After nearly two decades of devastating war and 58,000 American combat deaths, the U.S. left Southeast Asia. As the last helicopter lifted off from Saigon, the New York Times’s Sydney Schanberg wrote an article with the title, “Indochina Without Americans: For Most, a Better Life.” And the Times’s columnist Anthony Lewis asked, “what future could possibly be more terrible than the reality” of a war that had cost so much in lives and treasure? With the North Vietnamese Communists and the Khmer Rouge taking over, the world was about to find out. At least 65,000 Vietnamese were murdered or shot after “liberation” – the equivalent in terms of Vietnam’s population at the time, of killing three-quarters of a million people in today’s U.S. The new communist regime ordered somewhere between one- third to one-half of South Vietnam’s population to pass through its “re-education” camps, where perhaps as many as 250,000 died of disease, starvation, or were worked to death (the last inmates were not released until 1986). That number does not include the thousands of “boat people” who tried to flee the totalitarian nightmare of communist Vietnam, and perished at sea. Cambodia’s fate was even worse. At least one and a half million innocent Cambodians were butchered or starved to death in the Khmer Rouge’s killing fields and re-education camps, put to death by a fanatical regime that believed that anyone who wore eyeglasses must have “bourgeois intellectual tendencies” and be shot. The scale of moral collapse and suffering went beyond Indochina. The pullout had a ripple effect on U.S. power and prestige, just as the proponents of the so-called “domino theory” had warned. American foreign policy, crippled by remorse and self-doubt, stood helplessly as others rushed into the power vacuum. Marxist-Leninist regimes emerged not only in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, but in Ethiopia and Guinea Bissau (1974), Madagascar, Cape Verde, Mozambique, and Angola (1975), Afghanistan (1978), and Grenada and Nicaragua (1979). Soviet troops were welcomed in Fidel Castro’s Cuba for the first time since the 1962 missile crisis. Cuban troops traveled freely to Africa to prop up Marxist regimes there. In 1979 the Ayatollah Khomeini was able to establish his brutal theocratic rule over Iran, confident that America, having learned “the lessons of Vietnam,” would never intervene. The judgment of history, as Raymond Aron once remarked, is without pity. History will judge how America and its leaders handle global responsibility in Iraq and the Middle East in the next decade. As Winston Churchill said of the appeasement of Hitler at Munich, in 1975 Americans were “weighed in the balance and found wanting.” We have a responsibility to the Iraqis – and to the memory of those we left behind – not to let that happen again. Mr. Herman is the author, most recently, of “Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed An Empire and Forged Our Age,” just published by Bantam.

THE VALUE OF MILITARY ANALYSTS Posted: 02 May 2008 05:53 PM CDT Eagles! Brigadier General Jim Cash, USAF (Ret.), is one of the most astute observers of today’s politico-military scene whom I know of. Please read both his note and his article and cogitate on them. He is spot-on in his analysis of the leftist slant of the NY Times and kindred institutions and individuals. Well done, General Cash! Larry Bailey From: jcash1 To: Subject: Emailing: THE VALUE OF MILITARY ANALYSTS Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:34:20 -0600 My friends, the New York Times and Ike Skelton (D-Mo) have stepped over the line on this one. I refer to the irrational attack from the Times and supported on the floor of the House by Skelton on our retired Military Analysts. I know many of these men, and they are the most professional patriots in the country today. Yes, there are a few Wesley Clarks out there, but an eel is slippery, and a few slip through. Attached is my answer to this far-left attack, and several other retired military have written the Times. I ask that you forward this to as many as you can to include Congress and talk show hosts. The story from the Times has gotten legs, and it definitely needs to be rebutted. Thank you, Jim Cash THE VALUE OF MILITARY ANALYSTS The most patriotic group of individuals found in this country today has just been assaulted by the New York Times and Representative Ike Skelton (D-Mo). I refer to the recent article in the New York Times concerning Military Analysts attempting to convey what is going on around the world from a military point of view. These men have spent their lives being schooled and living these issues. They are an invaluable source of information to the American public. Modern day issues are so complex that it is impossible to define them in a two minute TV segment, and these analysts normally follow up with articles which give greater depth and understanding. Who in this country is more qualified? Everyone I know is grateful for their efforts to add perspective. The Pentagon realized long ago that news networks valued input by retired military professionals, so information was provided to these individuals. This effort was never meant to sway their opinion, but to insure they had accurate and current information to convey to the public. How many of you have ever tried to sway the opinion of a retired military member who served 20 or 30 years defending this nation? Try it sometime. I think you might be surprised, and maybe even entertained. I am personally a good example. Altogether, I served over 35 years combined duty in the Army National Guard, Army Reserve and on US Air Force active duty (29 years active duty). I learned early how lucky I was to be born in this country. I have never taken for granted the freedoms we have, nor the price we have paid for them. When I retired from the US Air Force, I vowed to come back to Montana to fish, fly airplanes, ride motorcycles, and enjoy life as long as health permitted. I had no desire to become part of the Military Industrial Complex (whatever that is), nor to make money based on any ill-conceived plan that could remotely hurt this great nation in any way, as alluded to by master distorters from the New York Times. I have never taken one penny for my writings, appearing on talk shows, speaking locally or otherwise. I have not been on an Air Force Base in over 10 years, and avoided the Pentagon like the plague, even while on active duty. Also, I initially vowed to remain very quiet, and worked hard not to influence local opinion. It is the American way to let the people decide on issues, based on their own merit. About two years ago, this attitude changed. I began to see the local, Socialist-Leaning, Far-Left types in our beautiful valley begin to dominate our local newspaper. You know who they are. They write almost daily, and are basically country hating, military hating, Bush hating, haters. Many of you read my articles, and write telling me that you refuse to read their stuff as soon as you see their names. I woke up one morning and decided that someone had to at least attempt to set the record straight. The far-left diatribes were hurting the country and our state, especially when the country is being threatened to the degree it is today. I wrote an article, and it received such a positive response it was overwhelming to me. The people wanted to hear the truth, so I wrote another. FOLKS, THE PENTAGON HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MY DECISION TO SUPPORT WHAT IS RIGHT WITH AMERICA!!!!! I take real offense to the far-left comment, “B/G Jim Cash, whose columns are loaded with dire statistics that only a fool would believe he carries around in his head.” What he means is that the Pentagon is feeding me the statistics, so that I might influence you. This is criminal in my opinion. These statistics are available from a multitude of different sources, and I simply put them together in, hopefully, an easy to read format. In fact, I do carry most of them in my head, as I was personally influenced negatively every time I served under a Democratic President. In this short article, I cannot convey to you how difficult it was to serve under Jimmy Carter. The Clintons like to tell you how terrible it is that our young men and women are serving 15 month tours in Iraq, when Bill Clinton’s downsizing of our military is the direct cause of those long tours. Retired military, as well as active duty, attempted to deter that massive downsizing, but Clinton was Hell-Bent on capitalizing on the non-existent “Peace Dividend” after the collapse of the old Soviet Union. My friends, someone has to get the truth out to the American people, and the only group I see doing that right now is our retired Military Analysts. All others are wrapped up in petty squabbling and trying to win elections. Now, the far-left has sunk to the level of attacking the most patriotic group in America, our retired military. That is unforgivable. On a personal note, I know retired M/G Paul Vallely and LTG Tom McInerney very well, and I am proud to call them friends. I would put my life, and the life blood of this country, in their hands any time. Combined, these two patriots have devoted nearly 70 years to defending this nation. If money had been their aim, they could have easily gone into industry to become CEOs of major companies. To make an insane insinuation (as the Times did) that these two men, acting as puppets for the Pentagon, would distort what is happening during wartime is beneath contempt. It is my considered opinion that the far-left has reached a new low. We have seen all the far-left radio and TV talk shows fail, or suffer low ratings that are leading to failure. This certainly includes the mainstream media. We have seen a few retired military members like Wesley Clark attempt to curry favor with the far left in an attempt to secure Cabinet level appointments should the Democrats win the Presidency this year. We have also seen the Democratic Party take control of our Congress and fail miserably. On the other hand, we see the Conservative talk shows grow stronger, due in part to their use of military professionals committed to the welfare of this country. I would guess that well over 90% of retired military members are conservative in nature, and they are not reluctant to speak out. First, we recently saw the Left attempt to pass laws that would force radio talk show hosts to give equal time to the Left, as the left-leaning shows could not make it on their own. That effort failed. Now, the far-left, New York Times has convinced Missouri Democrat and House Armed Services Committee Chairman, Ike Skelton, to attempt to silence retired military members though congressional action.. It is as if he feels they are not worthy of the First Amendment’s right to free speech. Like most Democrats these days, he was foolish enough to bite on this nonsense. My question to the nation is simply, HOW FAR WILL WE LET THESE FAR-LEFT LOONEY-TUNES go, before we vote them all out of office and stop buying their propaganda. I am in great hope that the good Americans of this country can see through the fog created by the far-left in an attempt to win elections, even though logic and truth are, and never have been, on their side. Jim Cash B/G, USAF, Retired (and proud of it)

"NO ONE Left Behind"

Personal note: Some pieces are harder to write than others. This one...this one had to be done "right." Perhaps it's part of the process of growing "older," perhaps it's because I was trained to be a soldier, a warrior, and I find myself not IN uniform doing what I was trained to do over 20 years ago, perhaps there are other factors involved internally, I'm not sure, but as I DO grow older, and because of my contacts both online and off, interactions with such a wide variety and assortment of people, I find myself with a deeper and growing kinship with my brother and sister veterans with each passing year. Ergo, this is a subject that hits me very close to home, personally, thus the desire and need to say exactly what needs to be said.

I hope I have done my brothers and sisters justice.

A heartfelt salute to you all.

Prefacing my piece will be the message that inspired me to write this. It was sent to WUA and is of particular interest to me.

S., I would really appreciate it if you could post this on your site. It is for a good cause as you will see when you read it.

Thanks,
Bob

Most of us who read this blog are grateful for the many men and women who currently serve our country. They are heros, everyone of them. We also are grateful for the many men and women who have worn the uniform in prior years. Whether it was a time of conflict or a time of peace. They were there for us and they kept us safe.

I know that many of you are like me. When I see one of our active duty military I will shake their hand and thank them for there service and, if I see them at a restaurant, their bill goes to me. I never fail to express my appreciation for a fellow Veteran's service with a thank you.

There are some Veterans who will never hear that thank you. They, in fact may never have a proper burial. They are the missing. Not POWs or MIAs. They are Veterans who are missing in America. Their unclaimed cremains are sitting on a shelf somewhere waiting for someone to take action.

From the "Missing in America Project" Site
"You served your country through a war, or through peacetime. You expected to receive a military burial, recognition by our government of your commitment to our great country. You expected to have honor and respect paid to you as a result of your service to our great country. Instead, you reside on a shelf in a mortuary or a storage facility at a crematorium."



Well, I invite you to visit "Missing in America Project" website. Take a look around and see for yourself the wonderful work they are doing.

Chris Brocksmith, a fellow PGR member told me "What we do for the PGR is from the depth of our heart. What the MIAP does is from the depth of ones soul."



Patriot Guard Riders
Standing For Those
Who Stood For Us

Vietnam.

It's funny how one simple little word can have such powerful impact upon people.

Vietnam.

For children in school, it's a location on a map, a country across the Pacific located in Southeast Asia where there was a war once that America was involved in.

Vietnam.

For others, it's a place that they know about because they had family members there all those years ago, and they felt the effects of that war through them.

Vietnam.

For some, it's a place they went to and learned what hell on earth was, coming home forever affected, forever changed, and forever remembering the smell of the jungles, the smell of gunpowder, of rot, of decay, the symphony of insanity played out by men in combat. Some didn't come home. Some didn't come home alive. Most did come home, but some of them never really left in their minds...

Don't think I'm trying to paint a picture of all Vietnam vets as mentally unstable, unable to adjust and cope, unable to leave Southeast Asia behind them, I'm not.

Far from it.

There are those, however, who for whatever reason, whatever circumstance, fell by the wayside in the years after their return from the Nam. A great many of them are still out there today. And a great many of them pass on, unnoticed, from this life, with no one knowing or realizing the tremendous role that they played in the history of our nation.

Vietnam was a learning experience for us as a nation, or at least it should have been. I often think that there are those out there who missed the lesson.

That, however, is the topic for other discussions, ongoing and continuing, as we pursue other conflicts around the world that are ongoing.

This one is for another reason. This one is to remind us that there was one lesson we DID learn in Vietnam that we have to apply here, on the home front, as well as on the field of battle. That lesson is this, "no man left behind." It's a lesson we need to practice here at home, because there is a growing number of homeless vets who are dying and being cremated, with their ashes being stored awaiting someone to claim them for interment. Connecticut is one state that is taking measures to make sure that this growing situation is being resolved.

The state's veterans cemetery in Middletown is a final resting place for thousands of Connecticut's war heroes. Sadly, some veterans who should be buried here are not.

"I think the families had the opportunity to do the right thing by these veterans and for whatever reason it didn't happen," said Keith Soileau, director of the Missing in America Project in Connecticut.

Soileau joined the Veterans' Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz in announcing a first of its kind partnership.

Missing in America is an organization that has undertaken the tremendous task of making sure that the unclaimed cremated remains of American veterans receive the proper honor and respect due to them by locating and identifying their remains and ensuring that they have a final resting place.

It's a daunting task, to be sure, that will involve a lot of time and a lot of research, and will be coordinated with such agencies as the American Legion, Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees, local funeral homes, national and state veteran organizations and administration agencies, and state and national veteran cemetery administrations, just to list a few of the organizations and agencies that will be involved. There will, of course, be strict adherence to local, state, and national laws for the identification, claiming of, and interring of unclaimed remains.

But what greater honor can we bestow upon the forgotten veterans of this nation who have passed on? What greater service can be undertaken to honor those who have, for whatever reason, slipped off the grid and have been forgotten in death?

It is a debt of gratitude that is owed to our forgotten brothers and sisters, a labor of love, that guides this project. Some may have gone missing, but there are those searching for them to ensure that they rest in peace, with honor and dignity.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


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This Can NOT Be Defined As Patriotic Protest

[UPDATE, 18:40 CST] Amy Proctor has a video clip here at her site. Go check it out, and see if it doesn't affect you.

[End of Update]

We can no longer stand idly by as people hide behind the First Amendment to commit crimes or acts of sedition.

Vandalism is a crime, it is not an expression of free speech. WUA has pointed out time and time again examples of how the anti-war left have committed crimes against patriotic expression.

Enough is enough.

The following is just the latests in a long line of attacks on our veterans and their families.

No more.

Veterans' Day Vandals Touch a Nerve
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007 By DAVID VON DREHLE/KANSAS CITY

Broken flags await sorting and repair in front of the Bender residence in Kansas City, Missouri - Chuck France

Almost as soon as Ann and Don Bender marked the 4th of July by planting a field of more than 3,500 flags — one for each of the American troops killed in Iraq— the elements began to take a toll. The baking sun and sudden storms of a Great Plains summer left the little flagsticks warped and broken and the fabric bleached and torn.

But that was nothing compared to the damage done in the dark hours of Sunday morning by vandals who kicked down thousands of the flags and left behind a cardboard sign with a single word splattered in red spray paint: "MURDERERS."

"You'll have to excuse me, sir, for crying," said a big bear of a man named Andy Enders as he stood by the remains of what had been "the most beautiful memorial ever created by private citizens, in my opinion."

Other veterans and passersby were busy picking up fallen flags, piling up Old Glorys by the hundreds, smoothing the flags, stacking the stomped sticks and wondering what will be salvaged of the display that has moved and intrigued this town for months.

Its power lay in its simplicity. The Benders live on six tree-shaded acres along one of Kansas City's main thoroughfares, called State Line Road because it marks the boundary between Missouri and Kansas. Thousands of drivers pass their home each day. In the long stretch of grass between the road and their white rail fence, they placed flags to mark the rising toll of the war, with a hand-printed sign at each end of the field displaying the total. On Sunday, the signs said 3,860.

If you wish to protest the war, that's fine, that's your right and your perrogative. We, the veterans of this nation, actually served in our nations armed forces so that you HAD that right. We may disagree with you, but YOU ARE ASSURED THAT RIGHT because of veterans.

When protest breaks down into acts of vandalism, that's another story. You've become criminals.

I call for ALL veterans in this nation to stand vigil, and when you know acts of vandalism have taken place in your home towns, come together and demand justice.

We were trained to operate as units and teams.

That training doesn't go away just because we take off our uniforms and hang our Class A's in the closet.

To the cowards who kicked over the flags here: Justice will find you out.

Once and Always, a VERY HIGHLY PISSED OFF American Fighting Man


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We were there...

Bunker Hill. Valley Forge. Boston. Saratoga. Yorktown. We were there.

The Chesapeake Bay. Washington, DC. New Orleans. We were there.


Fort Sumter. Shiloh. Vicksburg. Antietam. Gettysburg. Appomattox. We were there.

We were there at San Juan Hill, charging up with Teddy Roosevelt.


We were there at Le Hamel, Nancy, and Cantigny.

We were there at Pearl Harbor. Midway. The Bulge. North Africa. Normandy.


Were were there in Korea and Vietnam, in Central and South America, Kuwait, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

We have been there to support and defend our nation's liberty since the birth of our nation. Our younger brothers and sisters continue to carry on this duty today.

We are your veterans.

In times of war. In times of "peace." We were there.


In conflicts both popular and unpopular. We were there.


The blood of American servicemen and women has been shed around the world in the name of freedom and liberty.

We were there for you. We were there for America.

Our veterans have stood as the vanguard of our freedoms. Many have given their lives, their health, some their sanity, in the service of a nation they love. They come from all walks of life, from all backgrounds. Doctors, lawyers, mechanics, truck drivers, pilots, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines.

Americans.

Americans with a drive and an understanding that freedom isn't free. There is a price to be paid to live freely, and that price is that some serve to ensure those rights remain for others.


Give a moment of thanks, of gratitude, today, for those who served our nation to keep us free.

On a personal note for this piece, I have to say it's been one of the hardest I've written to date. Days like today, and Memorial Day, I can't help but think of fallen friends, both from my own time in the service, and the younger generation, those serving today, who have fallen in harms way. I think of the looks that I would get from time to time as I traveled when I was still in uniform.


I've been called a baby-killer. I'm not old enough to have even SERVED in Vietnam. But I do have my own memories that I live with. Many of us do. And we would gladly do so again so that our nation, our way of life, endures.

There are so many, many things I considered saying in this piece that I won't include. I don't want this to be a political rant.

I wanted, and want, this to merely be a thank you to my brothers and sisters who have served for their service. A thank you not only from a fellow veteran, but from an American who is grateful that there are those who have served before me, with me, and who serve us still in our nations armed forces.

God bless you all, every generation.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

[UPDATE] Thanks to Jay at Stop the ACLU for this link showing Veterans Day messages from the candidates and had this to say about Google finally recognizing Veterans Day, as well:

I guess after all those years of criticism, they deserve a pat on the
back for finally doing the right thing. Also, please feel free to use
this post like an open trackback to promote your own Veteran's Day
posts. Please share, thanks, Jay

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Sometimes Heroes Need Help Too

The following needs to be forwarded to your senators and congressmen. We have a chance to help two of America's finest, let's do it.

From Gathering of Eagles:

A Tale of Two Heroes Betrayed

It has come to my attention that two of our brothers need a little numerical support. Both live in states where the Congressional delegation mouths the party line that they support the troops, but the opposite is truly the situation. One lives in Pennsylvania and the other in New York. Both were responsible for acts of valor so audacious as to be worthy of a John Wayne movie. Both performed acts of heroism in combat that are so extraordinary that they deserve, in my estimation, the Medal of Honor. At the very least they deserve the consideration involved with the MOH. Neither is getting even that because politics have, once again, trumped sacrifice and selflessness.

Neither man asked for help. Both have suffered with the stoicism so common to our most heroic brothers. The first, Richard Gresko, came to my attention back at GOE I. He limps badly and is in quite obvious constant pain, but there he was on that bitterly cold day in March standing up to A.N.S.W.E.R. and Code Pink. Long story short, Richie, a Marine in Vietnam, leapt upon a grenade to save his squad, and though painfully wounded continued to direct his unit until he was evacuated. The second, David Bellavia, came to my attention because I saw his book on the shelf in a local bookstore. After I got it home I realized he was one of our brothers from Vets for Freedom. David was a one man task force who nearly single-handedly cleared a building in Fallujah. Before all was said and done he had dispatched multiple terrorists to their final resting place; one with his helmet and a Gerber knife. Both men are the stuff of the type of lore we who have served respect, and neither know that I’m about to solicit your help.

I would like to ask that each of you read the citations below. When you are done I would ask that you then call your Congressmen and both Senators and tell them that these men are worthy of our nation’s highest honor. Email or snail mail a letter too, demanding that the politicians in Washington give these men the honor they are due. Richie has Arlen Specter and Bob Casey in the Senate and Patrick Murphy in the House. David has Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer and Reynolds in the House. Both men were recommended by their commanders for the Medal of Honor. Both have impeccable witness statements. Both have done the deed; now let’s get them the award to accompany it.

Seldom do I use this venue for such a blatantly personal reason, but I am asking each of you reading this to do me a personal favor. Please follow up on this request. I truly want nothing more than to see both David and Richie with that awe-inspiring light blue ribbon and medal around their necks. I can do many things alone, but this I cannot do without your help; each and every one of you. Read the citations and tell me that politics is not at play. I, for one, am through with building bridges to our elected officials. I am starting to demand that they remember they work for us. Please help me, or our brothers will just be another casualty of Capitol Hill. Manchu.

-Chris Hill
National Director for Operations

GRESKO, RICHARD W.
Citation:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Richard W. Gresko (2516983), Sergeant [then Lance Corporal], U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving with Headquarters and Service Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in the Republic of Vietnam. On the night of 11 March 1970, Sergeant Gresko was in one element of an ambush set up to protect a village from enemy attack. Around midnight, his element ambushed a Viet Cong unit which was attempting to enter the village. During the ensuing fight, Sergeant Gresko observed an enemy hand grenade land near his position. With complete disregard for his own personal safety and fully aware of the dangers involved, he unhesitatingly threw himself on top of the grenade, absorbing most of the blast fragments with his own body in order to protect his men from certain injury and possible death. Although painfully wounded, he continued to direct his men’s actions until the squad made their sweep. By his bold and heroic action on behalf of his fellow Marines, Sergeant Gresko reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

Proposed Citation for SSG David Bellavia

For valorous and heroic actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom while serving as a squad leader in Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq from 04 November 2004 to 20 November 2004. On 10 November 2004, during an attack on Objective Wolf, SSG Bellavia repeatedly showed incredible courage and complete disregard for his own personal safety. With a squad from his platoon pinned down inside a room in an enemy controlled building and taking casualties, SSG Bellavia entered the “fatal funnel” of the doorway, and directly in the enemy line of fire. With rounds impacting all around him, he suppressed the enemy, allowing the squad to break contact. His actions saved the lives of the squad. After coordinating for the suppressing of the enemy stronghold with 25mm BFV cannon fire, SSG Bellavia re-entered the house. After being forced out of the room by overwhelming enemy fire, SSG Bellavia identified an AIF preparing an RPG. Realizing the danger the RPG posed to his platoon, SSG Bellavia decided to assault the room and destroy the enemy with the RPG. With complete disregard for his own safety SSG Bellavia assaulted the room while under intense enemy fire. He immediately killed the RPG gunner and wounded another AIF with an RPK machine gun who escaped to another room in the house. With an un-cleared room behind him, SSG Bellavia continued his attack. While moving into the un-cleared room he was attacked by two AIF from behind. Despite rounds impacting all around him, SSG Bellavia held his position and returned fire, ultimately killing two AIF. Almost simultaneously a fourth AIF attacked from inside a closet of the room. Exchanging rifle fire at almost point blank range, SSG Bellavia wounded the AIF who fled out the door and up the stairs. SSG Bellavia courageously pursued the AIF up the stairs of the building, exchanging gun fire on the stairwell. Pursuing the AIF into a room, SSG Bellavia used a grenade in an attempt to kill the AIF. Following the detonation of the grenade, SSG Bellavia entered the room and found the AIF preparing to fire his weapon. The ensuing close quarters melee resulted in hand to hand, ending with Bellavia destroying the AIF using his rifle barrel, Kevlar helmet, sappy plate, and ultimately a Gerber knife blade. A fifth AIF leaped from a roof above SSG Bellavia onto the second floor roof. After engaging the AIF through the window, SSG Bellavia moved out onto the roof and continued to engage the AIF until he ran out of ammunition. The AIF fell off the roof into the garden, badly wounded. SSG Bellavia acted on instinct to save the members of his platoon from an imminent RPG attack and ultimately cleared the entire house, destroying four AIF and badly wounding a fifth. His incredible bravery and complete disregard for his own safety to protect the lives of his platoon members was an incredibly unselfish and courageous act. Staff Sergeant Bellavia’s dedication to his fellow soldiers on the battlefield upholds the finest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon himself and the United States Army.

It goes without saying that Hillary Clinton HATES our military and I'm sure it will be a cold day in Hell before she does the right thing on this.

So.

Let's make sure these two heroes get the recognition and help that they deserve. Contact your Senators and Representatives now.

Thanks.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man

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A Disgusted General Speaks

We hear so much rumbling from some of our retired generals about the war in Iraq. The dinosaur media is quick to put a camera and microphone in front of them and give them a world wide audience so that they can condemn our policies and criticize our war efforts. Hat tip to Bill Shannon for forwarding us in email to the website the views of one of our retired generals who isn't aspiring to political ambitions.

The following can be found in full at Go-Patriots.com:

MIDDLE EAST IMPERATIVE
BY JIM CASH

I wrote recently about the war in Iraq and the larger war against radical Islam, eliciting a number of responses. Let me try and put this conflict in proper perspective.

Understand, the current battle we are engaged in is much bigger that just Iraq. What happens in the next year will affect this country and how our kids and grandkids live throughout their lifetime, and beyond.

Radical Islam has been attacking the West since the seventh century.

They have been defeated in the past and decimated to the point of taking hundreds of years to recover. But they can never be totally defeated.

Their birth rates are so far beyond civilized world rates that in time they recover and attempt to dominate again.

There are eight terror-sponsoring countries that make up the grand threat to the West. Two, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, just need firm pressure from the West to make major reforms. They need to decide who they are really going to support and commit to that support. That answer is simple. They both will support who they think will hang in there until the end, and win. We are not sending very good signals in that direction right now, thanks to the Democrats.

The other six, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, North Korea and Libya will require regime change or a major policy shift. Now, let's look more closely.

Afghanistan and Iraq have both had regime changes, but are being fueled by outsiders from Syria and Iran. We have scared Gaddafi's pants off, and he has given up his quest for nuclear weapons, so I don't think Libya is now a threat. North Korea (the non-Islamic threat) can be handled diplomatically by buying them off. They are starving. That leaves Syria and Iran. Syria is like a frightened puppy. Without the support of Iran they will join the stronger side. So where does that leave us? Sooner, or later, we are going to be forced to confront Iran, and it better be before they gain nuclear capability.

In 1989 I served as a Command Director inside the Cheyenne Mountain complex located in Colorado Springs, Colorado for almost three years.

My job there was to observe (through classified means) every missile shot anywhere in the world and assess if it was a threat to the US or Canada. If any shot was threatening to either nation I had only minutes to advise the President, as he had only minutes to respond. I watched Iran and Iraq shoot missiles at each other every day, and all day long, for months. They killed hundreds of thousand of their people. Know why? They were fighting for control of the Middle East and that enormous oil supply.

At that time, they were preoccupied with their internal problems and could care less about toppling the west. Oil prices were fairly stable and we could not see an immediate threat. Well, the worst part of what we have done as a nation in Iraq is to do away with the military capability of one of those nations. Now, Iran has a clear field to dominate the Middle East, since Iraq is no longer a threat to them.

They have turned their attention to the only other threat to their dominance, the United States. They are convinced they will win, because the United States is so divided, and the Democrats (who now control Congress and may control the Presidency in 2008) have openly said we are pulling out.

Do you have any idea what will happen if the entire Middle East turns their support to Iran, which they will obviously do if we pull out? It is not the price of oil we will have to worry about. Oil will not be made available to this country at any price. I personally would vote for any presidential candidate who did what JFK did with the space program---declare a goal to bring this country to total energy independence in a decade.

Yes, it is about oil. The economy in this country will totally die if that Middle East supply is cut off right now. It will not be a recession. It will be a depression that will make 1929 look like the "good-old-days".

The bottom line here is simple. If Iran is forced to fall in line, the fighting in Iraq will end over night, and the nightmare will be over.

One way or another, Iran must be forced to join modern times and the global community. It may mean a real war---if so, now is the time, before we face a nuclear Iran with the capacity to destroy Israel and begin a new ice age. I urge you to read the book "END GAME" by two of our best Middle East experts, true American patriots and retired military generals, Paul Vallely and Tom McInerney. They are our finest, and totally honest in their assessment of why victory in the Middle East is so important, and how it can be won. Proceeds for the book go directly to memorial fund for our fallen soldiers who served the country during the war on terror. You can find that book by going to the internet through Stand-up America at www.ospreyradio.us or www.rightalk. com.

On the other hand, we have several very angry retired generals today, who evidently have not achieved their lofty goals, and insist on ranting and raving about the war. They are wrong, and doing the country great harm by giving a certain political party reason to use them as experts to back their anti-war claims.

You may be one of those who believe nothing could ever be terrible enough to support our going to war. If that is the case I should stop here, as that level of thinking approaches mental disability in this day and age. It is right up there with alien abductions and high altitude seeding through government aircraft contrails. I helped produced those contrails for almost 30 years, and I can assure you we were not seeding the atmosphere. The human race is a war-like population, and if a country is not willing to protect itself, it deserves the consequences...

And he has SO MUCH MORE to say about the Bush administration, the Clinton administration, all the way back to the Nixon administration; it's an incredible read, and gives the insights of an incredible mind.

The bottom line is this: he's right on target with the things that he says, and he backs up the opinions of many Middle East analysts and observers. By his own admission he has nothing to gain politically by stating his observations, and his credentials are more than sufficient to back up what he says.

This is the difference between a general who is a warrior and one who is a politician. George Patton, at the end of World War II, had the foresight to realize that the United States needed to deal with the Soviet Union RIGHT THEN, but the politicians would have none of it. The result of not listening to one of our warriors was decades of "Cold War" between the U.S.A and the U.S.S.R.

Who will we listen to this time? The warriors, or the politicians?

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


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Totally at Random

This is one of those nights where I sit at the screen thinking, "Where do I start? What do I start with?"

Ever have those nights? Those of you who write know what I'm talking about. It's a sort of writer's block, but not really, because you have a MILLION and one ideas running through your mind but can't think of which one you want to lead out with.

The trick is to pick ONE thing, then let the others just sort of flow until you finish, depending of course on what your subject matter is. Fortunately, this particular piece has no singular subject matter OTHER THAN the randomness of ones own mind, and I gotta tell ya, sometimes, THIS mind can be fairly random.

Some say it's a symptom of genius, others that it's a sure sign of insanity.

Perhaps it's some sort of strange conglomeration of both.

History will be the judge.

Raoul, Dracula, whatever you're calling yourself tonight, my offer still stands, btw. Bring it on, amigo. I'm waiting. :)

Ahem.

I don't often "toot my own horn," soneone recently pointed out on this site my qualifications and experience, commenting that I was being FAR too modest about myself. What follows is, I suppose, something that goes along those lines, and I say what I'm about to say not to take any credit for myself, but rather to, hopefully, inspire thought and action from others. I met a man this week through my work, he was one of my customers, who is a Vietnam veteran (for those of you who don't KNOW exactly what it is that I do, right now I'm a communications contractor, at this customer's home I was installing a digital satellite television system). I arrived at his home to meet him as he and his brother were heading to the hospital some 60 miles away for his weekly radiation therapy. He has cancer. Cancer caused by Agent Orange. His mother was staying at the house as I did my work. During the course of my doing my thing, doing what I do, I learned this from her, about the Agent Orange and his fight the past few years with cancer that had been caused by it. There are many days when he is too ill to do much other than to lay in bed and watch television. His one satellite receiver was located in the living room. Typically, running a second line, called a mirror line, from one location to another so that both television sets are showing the same thing gets an extra charge. I pondered this as I was working, pondering the fact that this man served our nation in an unpopular war, that he has, according to his mother, difficult nights many times because of the things that he experienced, and the fact that while I served at a time when we weren't actively engaged in hostilities (officially, anyway) that I have my own difficult nights from let's just leave it at that I have difficult nights as well. I don't want to dwell and tonight be one of them. Anyway, I decided that I would run the second line for this man, this brother veteran, at no charge. It was the least I could do as a gesture of thanks for his service, and hopefully a little something to ease him a bit in what he and his family know are his last days.

Little things.

I share this illustration not to praise myself, not by any means. I share this illustration to hopefully show how SIMPLE it is to do little things to say "thank you" to our veterans.

Random acts of kindness.

It's an amazing thing how twisted things SUCH as kindness can be twisted around, as well. A few of us from time to time refer to Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. What an incredible visionary this woman was. A child of Russia, she had seen first hand the trappings of socialism and the way that it can take the ordinary and the most basic of human nature and virtue and TWIST it into something surreal, something vulgar, something...else. Another magnificent work by Rand is The Fountainhead, which I am reading now for, unfortunately, the first time. One of the main characters IS a Socialist, and she shows, through her writing, how skillfully and artfully, how INNOCENTLY, people can be manipulated into absolute ruin and self doubt, allowing themselves to be controlled by others. This work was written almost a CENTURY ago, and yet both works are so highly relevant to our society today.

Prophetically so.

A few lines from The Fountainhead, because I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this book to be read, as well as Atlas Shrugged:

"One Small Voice" never seemed to say anything dangerously revolutionary, and seldom anything political. It merely preached sentiments with which most people felt in agreement: unselfishness, brotherhood, equality. "I'd rather be kind than right." "Mercy is superior to justice, the shallow-hearted to the contrary notwithstanding." "Speaking anatomically - and perhaps otherwise - the heart is the most valuable organ. The brain is a superstition." "In spiritual matters there is a simple, infallible test: everything that proceeds from the ego is evil; everything that proceeds from love for others good." "Service is the only badge of nobility. I see nothing offensive in the conception of fertilizer as the highest symbol of man's destiny: it is fertilizer that produces wheat and roses." "the worst folk song is superior to the best symphony." "A man braver than his brothers insults them by implication. Let us aspire to no virtue which cannot be shared." "I have yet to see a genius or a hero who, if stuck with a burning match, would feel less pain than his undistinguished average brother." "Genius is an exaggeration of dimension. So is elephantiasis. Both may be only a disease." "We are all broghers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it."

How much of that sounds familiar, if one steps back and takes a look at the world around them? How MUCH of that diseased mindset has settled itself into our society today? How much of it do we see so subtly delivered to us from the pulpit of the modern Democratic party? Worse, how much of it is seeping over to the Republicans?

Something to think about, methinks.

I'm amazed at the work ethic of so many of our younger generation, as well. I can tell a major difference in the quality of work done by some of the young twenty-somethings that do the same sorts of work that I do. I'm amazed at the quality of work in other places, as well. My mother was commenting today about my brother's car having to go back into the shop this week after being serviced just last week, because he has a problem that was caused, likely, BY the routine service work.

I suppose it's always been that way, though, but I'm not sure.

I do remain hopeful, or at least I try to. I know others who have magnificent work ethics and excel at what they do.

We have let our guard down as a nation. We have allowed Nikita Khrushchev's prophecy of "taking us from the inside" almost to come true. Almost. But not quite.

We can take the words that make the title for this blogsite and make them a mantra. We can take them into our hearts, and into our MINDS, and live them, breath them, use them.

Wake Up America can be our rally cry, and this, from Atlas Shrugged, our oath of our character and a testiment of our determination: "I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

Random thoughts, from

An American Fighting Man

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"The Right Stuff?"

I have long maintained, both as a veteran and as man who has past his thirties, now, that the military has it ALL WRONG in sending young men into combat.

Allow me to explain.

My fellow veterans from the Reagan era and before will be able to relate to this more, perhaps, than those who came after us in the 90's on until today. Basic training was um, a few days ago (ahem) but the memories...ah the memories.

In my day, it was not uncommon for the drill instructors to eat garlic and onions at any given meal of the day, then share the effects of said bulbs with recruits standing in formation by standing in their faces and talking to them. Loudly. At 18 that can be a bit intimidating, after the age of, oh, say 35, you're more inclined to offer said DI a tic tac.

Head games don't work on older guys the same way they work on the younger ones. Ladies, I know you'll forgive me for saying so, but by the time the average male has reached his mid-thirties, we're sort of used to people playing with our minds.

Ahem.

This shift in attitude works to the advantage when it comes to being a soldier, though, I think. At 18 the mind is not as adjusted to having to make a snap decision as it is when you're older. You're also able to think more abstractly and envision things a bit better. An example? The reason you don't point your loaded weapon at one of your buddies is because it might accidently discharge and you'll shoot him. By the mid-thirties, you're more able to envision the effects of that than at the age of 18.

By the mid-thirties you've also learned (again, apologies to the ladies here, but I think you'll agree) the art of selective deafness. This would come in handy if captured by the enemy. "What is your unit strength, and what is your mission?" "I'm sorry, what?" (Louder) "What is your mission, and how many people are in your unit?" (shaking head sadly, pointing to ears) "Say again?" (Louder still, growing aggitated) "MISSION, UNIT" (Feigning comprehension) "YES I miss my unit, will I be going back to them soon?" (Screams of utter frustration, cursing in native language)

See my point?

After we leave our twenties, we're less inclined to be interested in brawling to "prove ourselves." Remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones had fought off a group of swordsmen with his bullwhip, only to find himself facing one last opponent who stood twirling and brandishing his sword? Of course you do, it's cinematic history. What did Indy do? He shot the guy and moved on. Classic older guy remedy to the situation. Fight you? Heck no, BANG you're dead.

One of our readers sent the following in email to WUA a few days ago, and the man is absolutely correct.

Enjoy, and see if you can't find the solid logic in the thought processes.

Once and Always, an American Fighting Man


Drafting Guys Over 60
I'm over 60 and the Armed Forces say I'm too old to track down terrorists. (You can't be older than 42 to join the military.)

They've got the whole thing backwards. Instead of sending 18-year-olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able tojoin a military unit until you're at least 35.

For starters:
Researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds.Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. If we can't kill the enemy we'll complain them into submission. "My back hurts! I'm hungry! Where's the remote?"

An 18-year-old hasn't had a legal beer yet and you shouldn't go to war until you're at least old enough to drink. The average old guy, on the other hand, has consumed 126,000 gallons of beer, and a jaunt through the desert heat with a beer and an M-60 would do wonders for the old beer belly. (Note there are 24 hours in a day and 24 bottles in a case...another convenient way to measure time!)

An 18-year-old doesn't like to get up before 10 a.m.

Old guys always get up early to pee.

If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at and we like soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns.We like them almost better than naps. They could lighten up on the obstacle course however. I've been in combat and didn't see a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training. I can hear the Drill Sgt now, "Get down and give me ... er ... one." Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy. I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.

An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to carry on a conversation, and to wear pants without the top of his butt crack showing and his shorts sticking out. He's hasn't figured out that a pierced tongue catches food particles, and that a 400-watt speaker in the back seat of a Honda can rupture an eardrum, and that a baseball cap has a brim to shade eyes, not the back of his head.

These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way. Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten cowards who attacked us on September 11. The last thing an enemy would want to see right now is a couple of million old farts with attitudes.

Share this with your senior friends. It's purposely in big type so you can read it.

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Gathering of Eagles update...16JUL07

A Presumption of Innocence

Posted: 16 Jul 2007 06:21 AM CDT

From Eagle Tim Sumner, head of 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America:

You know the story. On May 17, 2006 — to celebrate the 6-month anniversary of his first demanding a timetabled withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq — John Murtha held a press conference in D.C. and stated that Marines in Haditha had, “killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Even before the preliminary investigation had been completed and before the Marines under investigation had a chance to defend themselves, Congressman Murtha used his office to inquire and publicly pronounced them guilty.

Last week, the investigating officer recommended that the charges against LCpl Justin Sharratt be dismissed, in his strongly worded official report:

Ultimately, there is only one statement by an eyewitness to the events, LCpl Sharratt, and his version of the events is strongly corroborated by independent forensic analysis of the death scene… From as early as February 2006 LCpl Sharratt’s statements are supported by the forensic evidence.

Congressman Murtha did not mention that at his May 17, 2006, press conference for the investigation had not run its course, that independent forensic analysis had not been conducted and compared to testimony. He just rushed to judgment and pronounced United States Marines ‘guilty’ under Jack Murtha’s law.

Here is the not funny part: on July 11, 2007, his office announced that, “Congressman Murtha doesn’t have a statement because the investigation is still ongoing.” Meaning of course, he cannot take the political risk of repeating his slanderous allegations of last year.

I want Congressman Murtha to apologize or resign. Actually, I want him to apologize and resign.

As I live nearby, I will visit Congressman Murtha’s district office in Johnstown the week of July 23, 2007.

Send me your emails and I will gladly deliver a paper copy of them while I am there.

The Gathering of Eagles folks have provided a place to post your emails online. No email addresses will be displayed yet please tell us your name and city and state.

Regardless of where you live, I welcome your comments. Did you know that if you live outside of his district, his official site will not accept them?

Please, CLICK HERE AND BE SUCCINCT AND CIVIL, while telling Congressman John Murtha how you really feel.

Eagles up!


Sunday Reflections

Posted: 15 Jul 2007 12:21 PM CDT

Every so often I read something that inspires me, that lifts me up, dusts me off, and puts me back on the front lines to fight. These articles are admittedly few and far in between, but when I find them it is like a fresh clip of ammo dropped into my foxhole by Providence when I thought perhaps all was lost. This is one of those.

Written by Chris Hill, Nat’l Director for GOE, it is a snapshot of the things in my heart. I was reading it this morning, just toodling along, thinking, “Yes, this is how I feel…this is good stuff…” and then the last paragraph hit me.

This war must be won. I promised a Gold Star mother recently that I would not let her son’s, Sgt Brian Romines, sacrifice to have been in vain. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to support our brave men and women over in The Box. We have not lost Senator Reid, and I, for one am offended that you would say so. I would bleed on the flag to keep the stripes red. Is that too much to expect of an elected official? Sadly, the answer to that is probably yes. [emphasis added]

That one sentence brought me to my proverbial knees.

I feel this way.

I feel it with every fiber of my being, and I am moved to tears to be reminded that there are others in this country who feel the same–who would stand on the front with nothing but their hearts if need be, defending not only the freedoms we cherish, but the memories and honor of those who purchased them for us. Events like GOE 1 in D.C.–and the upcoming GOE rally on September 15th–are imperative. Our freedoms–and our children’s lives–depend on our ability and our willingness to face whatever evil may arise, with honor, conviction of soul, and the courage to do what needs to be done. These are not pretty words. They are the reality, the ever-sobering fact that we are a nation at war. We are a people fighting for our lives.

Bravo Zulu, Chris. See you on the front lines in September.



Letter to A Veteran: Was it worth the Sacrifice?

Posted: 14 Jul 2007 10:26 PM CDT

Dear Veteran,

I understand that you must go to war when our country asks you and I understand that going to war for you means leaving your families, friends, loved ones, and neighbors. I understand that the possibilities you face are more definite than what I know and that you realize you may not come back the person you were before you left, or at most, you may not come back alive. But, what I don’t understand is if you think the sacrifice was worth it? Did WE live up to your expectations for what you gave to us? When you heard of home, were you glad to hear that we were standing up for you? Or did we let you down?

Sincerely,

Was it Worth It?

San Francisco, CA

Dear Was it Worth It,

First I would like to praise your understanding of the meaning of patriotism. It seems like as our great nation becomes more assimilated over the past two centuries, and the free spirit on whom it was founded has become watered down taken for granted by many.

You asked whether or not if I believed the sacrifice was worth it. Without hesitation I will answer emphatically “YES”. Unlike a few, but like many fellow American patriots, I believed that protecting my country and family was like a “right of passage”. Throughout time, young men in every culture have in some form or another, participated in this passage from boyhood to manhood. So, whether you are out proving that you are a warrior by stalking a bear or mountain lion with a bow and arrow, or you kill a lion with a sling shot, or you march off as a boy to defend your beliefs and country, then come back a man of responsibility, it is all tied together in our history of manhood.

The next question is you ask of me is very disturbing deep in my soul and the soul of hundred of thousands from my era. You see, up till 1965-1973, previous wars were met with very little resistance. The majority of the nation felt threatened in some way, and supported the wars in whatever way they could. The spirit of patriotism ran like the mighty Mississippi River, deep and wide. However, something changed to that spirit when foreign sympathizers started poisoning the minds of Americans with the help of the left controlled media during the Vietnam era.

We as fighting soldiers were oblivious to what was happing back home in the states. Letters from home were more precious than gold, and our families would not discuss the politics and bad press in an attempt to shield us from an already ugly war.

So when the majority of us stepped off the plane expecting to come home to a hero’s reception, we were yelled at, spat upon, called “Baby Killers”, and any other name these weird dressed, sign carrying, crazy people could think of to call us.

I was in total shock and confusion. Here we had given the best four years of our lives to our country and no one would even look us in the face. When I got home no one wanted to discuss how it was or what happened. They really didn’t want to listen to any of the stories of the experiences I went through. After a while I just with drew into a shell and tried to pick up the pieces the best I could, and moved on trying to make a life for my family.

So to answer your last question, “ did my country let me down”. It may have let me down, but I have never let it down. I continued to serve as an Law enforcement Officer, helping the very people that turned their back on me, just like they are today, turning their backs on our brave men and women in Iraq who are protecting us from the GREATEST threat we have ever faced as a nation. Wake up America before it is to late.

Sincerely,

US Navy Veteran: Petty Officer, 3rd Class,

Dan Abernathy

* If you would like to write to Letters to A Veteran, please email your letter and contact information to the email address, gabrielle.pike@gatheringofeagles.org. Note: GOE reserves the right to choose to publish any and/or all letters submitted.

*If you are a Veteran and would like to contribute to this weekly posting, please email your name, military branch, and rank to gabrielle.pike@gatheringofeagles.org . Note” GOE reserves the right to choose to publish any and/or all submissions.


Facing Cindy Sheehan: Operation Welcome to Columbus is a SUCCESS!

Posted: 14 Jul 2007 04:12 PM CDT

This comes in from Matt Krause, dedicated Eagle down in Georgia. He and other Eagles faced up to Cindy Sheehan at the “rally” today in Columbus, Georgia, close to the gates of Ft. Benning.

I’m proud to announce that our little band of Eagles outnumbered Ms. Looney Bird and her band of society’s rejects by 2-1! We had our Eagle signs to hold up for her; reprints of the ones used against ANSWER back in March. Four of our local Eagles are also part of Rolling Thunder, so they brought their bikes down to the event. The bikers brought with them a beautiful American flag, which was proudly displayed for everyone to see.

The Columbus Police Dept. was out in force to ensure everyone’s safety. Beyond the gates of the base, we could see the MPs ready to take action in case one of the rejects tried to enter. While we did have to stay a bit flexible, the police did everything in their power to make sure we could exercise our Freedom of Speech. CPD was efficient and professional, and I
really appreciate their efforts in assisting with approval of our last minute event.

We were onsite at 9am, with demonstration permit in hand. We held our signs so passing motorists could see them as they entered and exited the base. After an hour, a rag-tag convoy arrived. It was quite a pitiful sight. They had a few cars, a tiny RV, a beatup pickup truck, and one of those little electric cars. Look everyone, it’s the Looney Bird Express! lol At
first they tried parking down the side street in our parking area, but the police made them move. Unfortunately the police ended up allowing them to park between us and our cars, meaning that any of our late arrivals would have to pass them in order to get to us.

An incident occured when a young man and his two kids arrived late; the kids holding signs showing support for their mom, who is deployed to Iraq. Details are a little sketchy, but it looks like some of Cindy’s group made hurtful comments as they passed, causing the little girl to cry. Their dad fired a verbal salvo back at the rejects, and we were able to tuck them under our Eagle wings when they got to us.

We could tell right away that the rejects weren’t expecting us. One of their organizers had quite a hard time trying to get through our line along the road. Beth, one of our most outspoken Eagles here in town, followed the guy around, holding her sign up so he could see it. (The first time I saw Beth in action, she was “escorting” two infiltrators back to their lines during GOE1.) Cindy’s organizer went over to the police in the hopes that they could move from the side street they were on, to the main road along which we were set up.

The police said they would allow Cindy & Co. to stand on the sidewalk across the side street from us. I had to giggle, as that sidewalk was 20 feet from the road, down a steep hill, making it almost impossible to see them from the main road! haha! When we first arrived we could have had that spot, instead choosing the other side, where we could stand along the curb of the street. An early Eagle gets the best spot.

After some polite pleading with the police, we were allowed to approach Cindy’s band of rejects. We got to within 10 feet of them before the police rethought their decision and asked us to fall back to our primary position. I tried not to listen to her lies,”blah blah torture, blah blah impeachment, blah blah blah”. Everything out of their mouths was just the most idiotic
bunch of bull manure that I’ve ever heard. I think I need to wash my ears. All in all, it was a great two hours. After a small rant, Cindy & Co retreated back to their convoy, so most of us began to pack up. A handful of us were still on the road when they drove past, with Cindy yelling things out the window of her RV. Such class!

Eagles, if you’re close to one of the Looney Bird Express’ proposed stops, please think about getting a demonstration permit and countering her message. We’ve got to make sure that our voices are heard.

Eagles Up!

Matt Krause


Intel Says Moonbat Group May Assault the Vietnam Wall

Posted: 14 Jul 2007 11:26 AM GMT-06:00

A “very preliminary” report by law enforcement in Maryland has come across the wire saying that an anarchist group is looking to deface the Wall on September 15th during ANSWER’s rally in Washington, D.C.

This will not be allowed to happen, period. We are acting on this intel and we’re certain that Eagles will be there in force to assure the safety and sanctity of our hallowed grounds.

Be aware–September 15th will be quite a showdown. Please consider either being there yourself or helping someone else get there by donating to GOE.

Thank you for your continued support. EAGLES UP!



GOE’s Samek Charges ALL Eagles to Counter “Retiree” Cindy Sheehan

Posted: 13 Jul 2007 10:45 PM GMT-06:00

An anti-war protest in Bryant Park at 1701 West Morehead Street of Charlotte, NC at 5:00 pm has led Cindy Sheehan to “come out” of retirement. Sheehan will be countered by GOE’s Eagle George Samek and his crew of anti-Moonbat ducks on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 3:00 pm sharp.

GOE requests ALL AVAILABLE Eagles to join Samek and his ducks!

Samek requests ALL participating Eagles to bring all available anti-war material, flags, signs, and bullhorns.

Eagles-let’s show Ms. Sheehan we hacve not “forgotten” her during her short-lived retirement!

Eagles UP!


Daily Contemplation: The Evolution of America

Posted: 13 Jul 2007 10:12 PM GMT-06:00

Eagles,

I have to tell you that as I walked the halls of the Atlanta Home Dec. Show today, I saw an empty building which used to burst at its seams with bustling buyers looking for the next big retail “hit.”

I was saddened as I overheard a woman complaining about how she must close her store because she cannot get people to shop. I became enraged when the next comment she produced was, “The economy is so bad because we, as Americans, just had to elect the most retarded man in the USA as President…this damn war in Iraq has ruined us all!”

I was shocked and though, in a professional setting, was about to become unglued! As she approached me I lightly touched the bold pin of the American Flag on my breast and smiled wanly at her.

It was then that a heart-breaking satisfaction and patriotic pride soared thru my whole being as the woman she was walking with quietly whispered- “My son died in this ‘damn war’ so that you could continue keeping your doors open to commerce and free trade rather than close them under a dictator rule defined by old world religion.”

With that she turned on her heel and walked away.
The woman stood there with her mouth open and a look of horror on her face and as my eyes met hers and she realized I had overheard the conversation; it was then that the severity of what had transpired struck her and tears rolled down her cheeks.

I walked over to her and said, “Ma’am, that woman and her son represent America and you have been weighed, measured, and found wanting. God Bless You.”

As I walked away I meditated on the event and realized that this “minute” occurrence changed three women’s lives forever; a lamb became a lioness, a dove became an eaglet, and an eaglet became an Eagle- as the evolution of America should be.

May this event inspire you as it did me. God Bless and Eagles–Soar!

Your Eagle Sister,
Gabi


U.S. President, Key U.S. General in Iraq Praise Effort Connecting Americans, Combat Troops

Posted: 13 Jul 2007 09:46 PM GMT-06:00

Roseville CA - July 12th, 2007 - The President of the U.S., along with a key U.S. general in Iraq, have recognized how Troops Need You is enabling average Americans to deliver what U.S. troops need to win over Iraqi locals.

“Thank you for supporting those who sacrifice so that future generations may live in peace and freedom,” the President wrote.

The President continued to praise the work of Troops Need You, a citizen-led troop support effort that is mobilizing the American people in direct support of combat troops in Iraq.

Troops Need You completes shipments to U.S. troops in response to requests they receive from local Iraqis. Battalion leadership confirms that such taliored, local solutions help improve the lives of Iraqis, and can be leveraged to motivate Iraqis to stand up for their own government and security. Thus, the resources that Americans are delivering to the troops are actually contributing to overall mission success.

The letter from the President arrived shortly after similar letters of praise from General Petraeus, the top coalition general in Iraq, and Lieutanant General Odierno, the Commander of U.S. Forces in Iraq.Troops Need You fills a unique role by connecting the American people with the combat troops on the ground. High-level leaders understand the need for the troops to have the resources they need to motivate the Iraqi people to stand up for their own security and government. the American people with the combat troops on the ground. High-level leaders understand the need for the troops to have the resources they need to motivate the Iraqi people to stand up for their own security and government.
Need for Even Greater Citizen Involvement Increased attention from military command, media results in more combat troops requesting support

Troops Need You is growing quickly, as a result of the increased attention from government leaders, as well as increased media attention.More combat troops are requesting support, which means that more Americans are needed to get involved, by donating or volunteering to help organize support for specific units.

The vision of Troops Need You is to establish sponsorships between Americans, who raise the support needed to deliver $5,000 in goods per month, and the 50 battalions who are fighting in the most critical areas of Iraq. Groups like churches, political groups, corporations, and civic organizations are well-suited to carry out the role of a sponsor for a combat battalion.

Just as the President praised of “the wonderful things Troops Need You is doing for the troops,” this is the time for more people to get involved so Troops Need You can connect even more Americans with the troops who need their support.

About Troops Need You Troops Need You is a charitable organization dedicated to maintaining the American tradition of mobilizing citizens to directly enable wartime success. By using donated funds from people across the country, Troops Need You delivers what combat units need to win over local Iraqis. Donations are accepted online at http://www.TroopsNeedYou.com or by mail to Troops Need You, PO Box 387, Roseville California 95661.

About the Founder Major Eric Egland (Reserve) has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He earned a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has discussed national security issues on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN and NPR. Some of his experiences are featured in the upcoming Fox News documentary on Iran.


Sheehan Rally - Atlanta

Posted: 13 Jul 2007 08:12 PM GMT-06:00

Cindy Chavez (or I mean Sheehan) will be in Columbus GA on Saturday for a rally and Eagles in Georgia are preparing a response. Anyone wishing more info contact me and I will get you a contact.

As the state coordinator for the Gathering of Eagles for Georgia, I am so pleased to join the group (get the bail money out again) that will “welcome” her as she arrives for a speech at the Seven Stages Theater in Atlanta at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. She is speaking for the presentation of a play on Marxism.

She is a dishonor to her son who lost his life in Iraq while serving in a cause, a conflict, and a military that he chose to support. He had a short but distinguished career. Many Eagles will join me in standing to confront her in Honor of her son and his sacrifice on the altar of freedom.

On Tuesday the 17th I will join George “Bull Horn” Samek in Charlotte, North Carolina for a huge rally in response to her appearance there.

If you can’t be with us then please think about the servicemen and women who serve to protect and defend you everyday. Remember to add this verse I have written to sing whenever I hear the song “God Bless America” which goes like this:

“God Bless our servicemen, wherever they may be,

Stand beside them, and protect them, as they fight for liberty,

In the desert, in the mountains, o’er the ocean, white with foam,

God bless our servicemen. bring them safely home,

GOD BLESS OUR SERVICEMEN, BRING THEM SAFELY HOME.”

The war and support for or against it is something each individual must decide for themselves. But we should never abandon those who put themselves in harms way to insure our freedom.

Somewhere on a island in the Pacific, these words are carved on simple stone monument in memory of those who fought and died there during WWII:

“When you go home, go home to your families and say, to insure their tomorrow, we gave our today.”

There will be many events in the next few months in support of the troops. I will be in Atlanta tomorrow, Charlotte Tuesday, Walter Reed first Friday in August, back in DC 15 September for a huge anti moonbat and support and fund the troops rally and also in DC with another “Vets To Washington Project Trip”.

If anyone would like additional info on any event or info on what you as one person by yourself can do to support the troops please contact me. This is one place where one person can make a difference and you can do that by reaching out and touching the life of a servicemember.

Thanks and See you at the Rally.

Doug Hastings
GOE State Coordinator: Georgia

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