Indiana Patriot Guard

Thanks!

2009-02-20T18:11:00.002-05:00

Thanks!

Goes to all of you.

Earlier this month I was having lunch with my wife. A busy north side eatery with all of the normal comings and goings. About half way through my sandwich, a man approached rather hesitantly. As he neared he apologized for interrupting and said,

“I’m a local pastor. I have been involved in several funerals that you guys have attended. I just wanted to let you know how much you mean to the families. Thank you.”

With my mouth still half full (doesn’t it always happen that way) and a large lump forming rather quickly in my throat, I eek ed out the words, “it is our honor, thank you.” And we shook hands.

With that he walked away. That was it. No long conversation, no exchanging of names. I could see in his eyes he was fighting back the emotions we are all so familiar with so I didn’t try to stop him. I’m not sure I could have talked anyway.

I just wanted all of you to know that it wasn’t me personally he was thanking, it was you. That day, I just happened to be wearing an Indiana PGR shirt, so I received your thanks.

Again, I say to each and every one of you, THANK YOU, from the families. For taking a few hours to stand a flag line, for everything.

Happy New Year 2009

2008-12-31T10:08:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T09:49:00.001-05:00

Care Packages

2008-12-03T14:41:00.000-05:00

We send a lot of packages to the troops. Our frustration with the USPS, expense, and delays are well documented.

How about the other side? Ever wonder what the troops think about the ‘delay’ in getting care packages. How about 368 days? Yes, one year, 3 days.

‘Vampire’, (“15 years light infantry experience, currently serving as a Team Chief for an Embedded Training Team with the Afghan National Army” according to his bio) has a very entertaining take on the whole mail call situation.

Click here - “Tooth Fairy and Mail (Two things that don't exist)”, have a read. As always, you can leave a comment, I’m sure he’d get a kick out of having a bunch of IPGR folks comment on his blog.

ht to LL at ChromeCurses and thanks for letting me steal this post.

Touching The Face of Grace

2008-11-21T08:53:00.001-05:00

I found this at CJ’s place, A Soldiers Perspective. CJ found it at the American Legion webpage.

So many times, there are things that need saying and I wish I could. Then I come across someone else that has said them in terms I could not. This is one of those times.

God bless our troops, God bless our local police forces, God bless the firemen and women.

And Thank You!

------------------------------------------------------------------

On Sept. 16, Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-Va., introduced the following essay into the Congressional Record. Written by Mitchell L. Hubbard of Winchester, Va., it tells of his son’s experiences while deployed to Iraq.

“His son’s story should make us all think about our armed forces, as well as the police and first responders, who risk so much to serve us every day,” Wolf said.

Hubbard’s essay follows:

“Whatever your political take on the war in Iraq, nothing can alter it more than having a loved one in the midst of it. Nor is anyone’s current perspective balanced until they hear at least some things from a soldier’s point of view.

“My wife and I learned these truths when our son, a 2004 Handley graduate, decided to join the Army in 2006. His reasoning was simple: he wasn’t comfortable knowing that thousands of others his age were sacrificing their own freedoms to protect his. When he signed up to join those thousands, it changed our perspective as well.

“Up to that point, it had always been other people’s sons and daughters doing the fighting. Now it would be our own child. Naturally, no one wants their child to volunteer to go in harm’s way for freedom’s sake. It was something of a conviction, though, when my wife and I had to ask ourselves why it shouldn’t be our own son in the Middle East, why we should be spared the rituals of anxiety, prayer, hope and waiting that tens of thousands of other families over here have already endured.

“In early June, we flew to Fort Hood, Texas, to see our son deploy for a 15-month tour in Iraq. Again, one’s perspective is limited until one attends a deploying ceremony for a unit of soldiers. Spouses, children, parents, siblings and friends, all crowding a gym, all clinging closely to their treasures in uniform, accompanied by flags, prayers, cheers and tears. Our son had joined a ‘band of brothers.’ My wife and I had joined the ‘band of others’ who would be waiting at home. Both those going, and those left behind, carry the war on terror in a personal way.

“Still, those of us left behind need to see something of what our soldiers see, and not only what is offered us in the news. To that end, here is one story our son, Luke, shared with us by phone that must be shared with anyone who claims an interest in what our soldiers are doing in the Middle East.

“Stationed outside a city on the Tigris River, Luke had accompanied his colonel into town as part of a security team, while the colonel spoke with a local sheik. While standing guard, Luke noticed a woman approaching from behind and cautiously turned in her direction, his rifle at the ready.

“An interpreter told our son it was OK – the woman just wanted to touch a soldier. Still uneasy, Luke stood still while the woman reached out her hand and touched his face, tears in her eyes.

“Looking to the interpreter for meaning, our son was told that the woman simply ‘wanted to touch the face of grace.’ It seems this trembling woman, like most of the people in her town, looked upon our soldiers as angels of grace, sent by God to protect her from the violence and oppression her people had come to know up to then. Learning this, our son squeezed and kissed the woman’s hand, and she left, weeping.

“The ‘face of grace.’ How many of us, safe at home debating the politics of the war on terror, have ever seen our soldiers in such a light? How many of us have even read such an uplifting newspaper account of our soldiers?

“To be sure, our soldiers are not virtuous simply by being soldiers. At home in their ‘civvies’ they are as un-angelic as the rest of us. Yet when they voluntarily get into ‘full battle rattle’ (as they call their battle gear) in a hot and hostile land, their job is both protective and sacrificial – as angelic a purpose as humans can take on.

“People like this woman, having suffered years of oppression and fear, have eyes and a heart to see this, and the desire to “‘touch the face of grace.’ Do we have the ability to see our soldiers in the same way? And not merely our soldiers: Can we see the ‘face of grace’ in the police who protect us in every town, day and night? Or in the fire and rescue teams who are ‘soldiers’ in their own right?

“My wife and I obviously pray that our son and his ‘band of brothers’ will come safely home to their personal ‘band of others.’ After listening to our son’s experience, though, we have added the prayer that Americans in every community will be given the eyes and heart to see the ‘Face of Grace’ in all who protect our lives and freedoms – especially in soldiers like our son.”

Thankful - VIII

2008-11-18T13:55:00.001-05:00

The 3,000 troops we sent off to Iraq in January are beginning to return home. The first group of 100 returned to the New Indianapolis International terminal. Over about the next 30-45 days, they will all be home. I am thankful that a great majority have returned or are returning safely.

Companionship of a dog(s). I know, seems kind of shallow. This is definitely one of those “if you don’t understand, I can’t explain” kind of things.

40 + years. Yea, the day is near. Another year older. It’s been a good run. Here’s to another 40!

And here’s to another 10, click here to donate to Jim and Flo... and God bless you.

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T08:42:00.003-05:00

Here in Indianapolis, on 82nd street. Near the Castleton Square Mall.

A billboard.

Says it all.

Thank you!

If you are here for the first time or it has been a while, click the “Shout it Out” link below. Please introduce yourself, tell us your branch of service and years served.

Again, God bless and thank you!

Thankful - VII

2008-11-10T17:59:00.000-05:00

Almost forgot again.

1 - My brain. Which seems to be failing me in it’s capacity to remember things like this. Seriously though, my health. Yeah I know it is a repeat but I’ve seen things in the past week that make me appreciate the good health I have.

2 - luck... I don’t know what else to call it. A friend has had a run in with the law. DUI. Blew a 0.08. That’s right on the line. I’d almost guarantee I’ve crossed it. I’m SO thankful I’ve been lucky. And thankful to Larry for sharing his story and waking me up. I won’t cross that line again.

PSA - If you drink, please don’t drive. - Thanks!

3 - Attitude. Yea, I got one. So do some of my coworkers. The verbal jabbing is a stress reliever. Makes the day pass quicker. Most of my coworkers are fantastic. For that, I am thankful.

Semper Fi

2008-11-10T11:35:00.002-05:00

There is a birthday today

U. S. M. C.

223 years today.

Happy birthday Marines!

More here.

The 8th of November

2008-11-06T10:53:00.001-05:00

Please take the time to remember them this November 8th....

h/t to Orphan

Thankful - VI

2008-11-05T09:45:00.001-05:00

Thanks...

I voted today. I cannot express how thankful I am for that right... for that privilege. I am so thankful for the men and women of our Armed Services that daily secure that right for me. Maybe not ‘fighting’ or ‘in the trenches’ but standing ready.

The wife and I made it to see our son in Louisville, KY this weekend. He is doing well. Lives downtown, on the tenth floor of an apartment building.
I’m thankful, and proud of him.

Friday I went to honor a Korean War vet. Harold Hancock
I am thankful for being a member of an organization that can bring comfort to a mourning family.

Another $10.You can join me here.

Thankful - V

2008-10-30T12:34:00.001-05:00

Before it completely slips my mind...

This weeks (late) thankful post.

1 - Our Veterans. This week I am attending the funeral of a Korean War Vet. God bless him. God bless them all. AND Ladies and Gentlemen, thank YOU for your service.

2 - Internet friends. Through a barrage of e-mails, from the far corners of the country, I(we) have confirmed a cancer survivor and Steelers fan will be getting some stuff that has ‘shrunk’ too much for me to wear any more.

3 - The cold weather. Now wait, don’t go throwing stones or flaming comments. I have allergies and a good hard frost usually kills or makes dormant everything that makes my eyes water, nose run and sinuses pound. So, yes, I am thankful for a good hard cold snap... now it can warm back up. I got ridding to do.

Another 10.

You can join me here.

The Beginning Of Suicide Bombings

2008-10-22T17:26:00.007-05:00

October 23rd, 2008 marks the 25 year anniversary of the attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut Lebanon.

A fellow blogger has a great article about that first suicide attack. He has even included a letter written by Colonel Timothy J. Geraghty, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired). Colonel Geraghty was the commanding officer of the Marine unit.

I had the link to the other post here, but I think you should at least scroll through the names... the link is at the bottom of the page.

The below list of names is from The Beirut Memorial - Online. There is a wealth of information there.

Remember them.

************************************************************

______________________________________________ DATE OF __ HOME
NAME OF SERVICEMEMBER ___ SERVICE _ RANK ______ DEATH ___ STATE _ HOMETOWN

Carlson, Randall A. ....... USA .... MAJ .... 09/25/1982 .. CT .. Trumbull, CT
Reagan, David L. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 09/30/1982 .. VA .. Virginia Beach, VA
Maxwell, Ben H. ........... USA .... SSGT ... 04/18/1983 .. VA .. Appomattox, VA
McMaugh, Robert V. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 04/18/1983 .. VA .. Manassas, VA
Salazar, Mark E. .......... USA .... SSGT ... 04/18/1983 .. CA .. Pasadena, CA
Twine, Richard ............ USA .... SFC .... 04/18/1983 .. UK .. Salop, UK
Losey, Donald George ...... USMC ... 2LT .... 08/29/1983 .. NC .. Winston Salem, NC
Ortega, Alexander M. ...... USMC ... SSGT ... 08/29/1983 .. NY .. Rochester, NY
Clark, Randy W. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 09/06/1983 .. WI .. Minong, WI
Valle, Pedro J. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 09/06/1983 .. RP .. San Juan, RP
Soifert, Alan H. .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/14/1983 .. NH .. Nashua, NH
Ohler, Michael J. ......... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/16/1983 .. NY .. Huntington, NY
Abbott, Terry W. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. New Richmond, OH
Alexander, Clemon S. ...... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Monticello, FL
Allman, John R. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NM .. Carlsbad ... NM
Arnold, Moses J. Jr. ...... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Bailey, Charles K. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Berlin, MD
Baker, Nicholas ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Alexandria, VA
Banks, Johansen ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Detroit, MI
Barrett, Richard E. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Tappahanock, VA
Bates, Ronny K. ........... USN .... HM1 .... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Aiken, SC
Battle, David L. .......... USMC ... 1stSGT . 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Hubert, NC
Baynard, James R. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Richmond, VA
Beamon, Jesse W. .......... USN .... HN ..... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Haines City, FL
Belmer, Alvin. ............ USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Bland, Stephen ............ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Midway Park, NC
Blankenship, Richard L. ... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Hubert, NC
Blocker, John W. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Yulee, FL
Boccia, Joseph J. Jr. ..... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Northport, NY
Bohannon, Leon Jr. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Bohnet, John R. Jr. ....... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. TN .. Memphis, TN
Bonk, John J. Jr. ......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Boulos, Jeffrey L. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Islip, NY
Bousum, David R. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Fife Lake, MI
Boyett, John N. ........... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Brown, Anthony ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Detroit, MI
Brown, David W. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. Conroe, TX
Buchanan, Bobby S. Jr. .... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Midway Park, NC
Buckmaster, John B. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Vandalia, OH
Burley, William F. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Linden, NJ
Cain, Jimmy R. ............ USN .... HN ..... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Birmington, AL
Callahan, Paul L. ......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Lorain, OH
Camara, Mecot E. .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Campus, Bradley J. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Lynn, MA
Ceasar, Johnnie D. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. El Campo, TX
Cole, Marc L. ............. USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Ludlow Falls, OH
Coleman, Marcus A. ........ USA .... SP4 .... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. Dallas, TX
Comas, Juan M. ............ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Hialeah, FL
Conley, Robert A .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Orlando, FL
Cook, Charles D. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Advance, NC
Cooper, Curtis J. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. North Wales, PA
Copeland, Johnny L. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Burlington, NC
Corcoran, Bert D. ......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Katonah, NY
Cosner, David L. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WV .. Elkins, WV
Coulman, Kevin P. ......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Seminary, NY
Croft, Brett A. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Lakeland, FL
Crudale, Rick R. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Warwick, RI
Custard, Kevin P. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MN .. Virginia, MN
Cyzick, Russell E. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WV .. Star City, WV
Davis, Andrew L. .......... USMC ... MAJ .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Decker, Sidney James ...... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Clarkson, KY
Devlin, Michael J. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Westwood, MA
Dibenedetto, Thomas A. .... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Mansfield Center, CT
Dorsey, Nathaniel G. ...... USMC ... PVT .... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Douglass, Frederick B. .... USMC ... SGTMAJ . 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Cataumet, MA
Dunnigan, Timothy J. ...... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. WV .. Princeton, WV
Earle, Bryan L. ........... USN .... HN ..... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Painsville, OH
Edwards, Roy L. ........... USMC ... MSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Elliot, William D. Jr. .... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Lancaster, PA
Ellison, Jesse ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WI .. Soldiers Grove, WI
Estes, Danny R. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. IN .. Gary, IN
Estler, Sean F. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Kenall Park, NJ
Faulk, James E. ........... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Panama City, FL
Fluegel, Richard A. ....... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Erie, PA
Forrester, Steven M. ...... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Foster, William B. Jr. .... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Richmond, VA
Fulcher, Michael D ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Madison Heights, VA
Fuller, Benjamin E ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Duluth, GA
Fulton, Michael S. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. Ft. Worth, TX
Gaines, William Jr. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Port Charlotte, FL
Gallagher, Sean R. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. N. Andover, MA
Gander, David B. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WI .. Milwaulkee, WI
Gangur, George M. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Cleveland, OH
Gann, Leland E. ........... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Garcia, Randall J. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Modesto, CA
Garcia, Ronald J. ......... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Gay, David D. ............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Harrisburg, IL
Ghumm, Harold D. .......... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Gibbs, Warner Jr. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Portsmouth, VA
Giblin, Timothy R. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. N. Providence, RI
Gorchinski, Michael W. .... USN .... ETC .... 10/23/1983 .. IN .. Evansville, IN
Gordon, Richard J. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Somerville, MA
Gratton, Harold F. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Conoes, NY
Greaser, Robert B. ........ USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Lansdale, PA
Green, Davin M. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Hairston, Thomas A. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Haltiwanger, Freddie Jr. .. USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Little Mountain, SC
Hamilton, Virgil D. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Dayton, OH
Hanton, Gilbert ........... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. DC .. Washington, DC
Hart, William ............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Haskell, Michael S. ....... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Hastings, Michael A. ...... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. DE .. Seaford, DE
Hein, Paul A. ............. USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Held, Douglas E. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Helms, Mark A. ............ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NE .. Dwight, NE
Henderson, Ferrandy D. .... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Tampa, FL
Hernandez, Matilde Jr. .... USMC ... MSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Midway Park, NC
Hester, Stanley G. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Raleigh, NC
Hildreth, Donald W. ....... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Sneads Ferry, NC
Holberton, Richard H. ..... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Beaufort, SC
Holland, Robert S. ........ USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Gilbertsville, KY
Hollingshead, Bruce A. .... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Fairborn, OH
Holmes, Melvin D. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Chicago, IL
Howard, Bruce L. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. ME .. Strong, ME
Hudson, John R. ........... USN .... LT ..... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Riverdale, GA
Hudson, Terry L. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Prichard, AL
Hue, Lyndon J. ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. LA .. Des Allemands, LA
Hukill, Maurice E. ........ USMC ... 2ndLT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Iacovino, Edward F. Jr. ... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Warwick, RI
Ingalls, John J. .......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Interlaken, NY
Innocenzi, Paul G. III .... USMC ... WO1 .... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Trenton, NJ
Jackowski, James J. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. S. Salem, NY
James, Jeffrey W. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Jenkins, Nathaniel W. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Daytona Beach, FL
Johnson, Michael H. ....... USN .... HM2 .... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Detroit, MI
Johnston, Edward A. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Struthers, OH
Jones, Steven ............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
Julian, Thomas A. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Middleton, RI
Kees, Marion E. ........... USN .... HM2 .... 10/23/1983 .. WV .. Martinsburg, WV
Keown, Thomas C. .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Louisville, KY
Kimm, Edward E. ........... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. IA .. Atlantic, IA
Kingsley, Walter V. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. WI .. Wisconsin Dells, WI
Kluck, Daniel S. .......... USA .... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. KY .. Owensboro, KY
Knipple, James C. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Alexandria, VA
Kreischer, Freas H. III ... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Indiatlantic, FL
Laise, Keith J. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. East Stroudsburg, PA
Lamb, Thomas G. ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MN .. Coon Rapids, MN
Langon, James J. IV ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Lakehurst, NJ
Lariviere, Michael S. ..... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Perry, FL
Lariviere, Steven B. ...... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Chicopee, MA
Lemnah, Richard L. ........ USMC ... MSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Lewis, David A. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Garfield Heights, OH
Lewis, Val S. ............. USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Atlanta, GA
Livingston, Joseph R. ..... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Champaign, IL
Lyon, Paul D. Jr. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Milton, FL
Macroglou, John W. ........ USMC ... MAJ .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Maitland, Samuel .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Martin, Charlie R. ........ USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Martin, Jack L. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Oveido, FL
Massa, David S. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Warren, RI
Massman, Michael R. ....... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Port Huron, MI
Mattacchione, Joseph J. ... USMC ... PVT .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Sanford, NC
McCall, John .............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Rochester, NY
McDonough, James E. ....... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Newcastle, PA
McMahon, Timothy R. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. TX .. Austin, TX
McNeely, Timothy D. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Mooresville, NC
McVicker, George N. II .... USN .... HM2 .... 10/23/1983 .. IN .. Wabash, IN
Melendez, Louis ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. PR .. Puerto Rico
Menkins, Richard H. II .... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Tully, NY
Mercer, Michael D. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Vale, NC
Meurer, Ronald W. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Milano, Joseph P. ......... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Farmingville, NY
Moore, Joseph P. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MO .. St. Louis, MO
Morrow, Richard A. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Clairton, PA
Muffler, John F. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Munoz, Alex ............... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NM .. Bloomfield, NM
Myers, Harry D. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Whittler, NC
Nairn, David J. ........... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Nava, Luis A. ............. USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Gardena, CA
Olson, John A. ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. MN .. Sabin, MN
Olson, Robert P. .......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Lawtons, NY
Ortiz, Richard C. ......... USMC ... CWO3 ... 10/23/1983 .. OK .. Ft. Sill, OK
Owen, Jeffrey B. .......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Virginia Beach, VA
Owens, Joseph A. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Chesterfield, VA
Page, Connie Ray .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Erwin, NC
Parker, Ulysses ........... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Payne, Mark W. ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Binghamton, NY
Pearson, John L. .......... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Perron, Thomas S. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. MA .. Whitinsville, MA
Phillips, John A. Jr. ..... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Wilmette, IL
Piercy, George W. ......... USN .... HMC .... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Mt. Savage, MD
Plymel, Clyde W. .......... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Merritt, FL
Pollard, William H. ....... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Pomalestorres, Rafael I. .. USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Prevatt, Victor M. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Columbus, GA
Price, James C. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Attala, AL
Prindeville, Patrick K. ... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Gainesville, FL
Pulliam, Eric A. .......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. E. St. Louis, IL
Quirante, Diomedes J. ..... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. RP .. Calcoocan City, RP
Randolph, David M. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. AZ .. Siloam Springs, AZ
Ray, Charles R. ........... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Relvas, Rui A. ............ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Rich, Terrence L. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
Richardson, Warren ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
Rodriguez, Juan C. ........ USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Miami, FL
Rotondo, Louis J. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
Sanpedro, Guillermo Jr. ... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Hialeah, FL
Sauls, Michael C. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Waterboro, SC
Schnorf, Charles J. ....... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Camp Lejeune, NC
Schultz, Scott L. ......... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Keeseville, NY
Scialabba, Peter J. ....... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Moorehead City, NC
Scott, Gary R. ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Rankin, IL
Shallo, Ronald L. ......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Hudson, NY
Shipp, Thomas A. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Shropshire, Jerryl D. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Macon, GA
Silvia, James F. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Portsmouth, RI
Sliwinski, Stanley J. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Niles, OH
Smith, Kirk H. ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Miami, FL
Smith, Thomas G. .......... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Middletown, CT
Smith, Vincent L. ......... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Soares, Edward ............ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Tiverton, RI
Sommerhof, William S. ..... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Springfield, IL
Spaulding, Michael C. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. OH .. Akron, OH
Spearing, John W. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Lancaster, PA
Spencer, Stephen E. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. RI .. Portsmouth, RI
Stelpflug, Bill J. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Auburn, AL
Stephens, Horace R. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Capitol Heights, MD
Stockton, Craig S. ........ USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Rochester, NY
Stokes, Jeffrey G. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. GA .. Waynesboro, GA
Stowe, Thomas D. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Sturghill, Eric D. ........ USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Chicago, IL
Sundar, Devon L. .......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Standford, CT
Surch, James F. Jr. ....... USN .... LT ..... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Lompoc, CA
Thompson, Dennis A. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Bronx, NY
Thorstad, Thomas P. ....... USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. IN .. Chesterton, IN
Tingley, Stephen D. ....... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Ellington, CT
Tishmack, John J. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. MN .. Minneapolis, MN
Trahan, Lex D. ............ USMC ... PVT .... 10/23/1983 .. LA .. Lafayette, LA
Vallone, Donald H. Jr. .... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Palmdale, CA
Walker, Eric R. ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. IL .. Chicago, IL
Walker, Leonard W. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. AL .. Dothan, AL
Washington, Eric G. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. VA .. Alexandria, VA
Weekes, Obrian ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
Wells, Tandy W. ........... USMC ... 1stSGT . 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Wentworth, Steven B. ...... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Reading, PA
Wesley, Allen D. .......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Philadelphia, PA
West, Lloyd D. ............ USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Weyl, John R. ............. USMC ... SSGT ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Wherland, Burton D. Jr. ... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Jacksonville, NC
Wigglesworth, Dwayne W. ... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. CT .. Naugatuck, CT
Williams, Rodney J. ....... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. FL .. Opa Locka, FL
Williams, Scipio Jr. ...... USMC ... GYSGT .. 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Charleston, SC
Williamson, Johnny A. ..... USMC ... LCPL ... 10/23/1983 .. NC .. Asheboro, NC
Wint, Walter E. Jr. ....... USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. PA .. Wilkes-Barre, PA
Winter, William E. ........ USMC ... CAPT ... 10/23/1983 .. SC .. Fripp Island, SC
Wolfe, John E. ............ USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. AZ .. Phoenix, AZ
Woollett, Donald E. ....... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. OK .. Barthesville, OK
Worley, David E. .......... USN .... HM3 .... 10/23/1983 .. MD .. Baltimore, MD
Wyche, Craig L. ........... USMC ... PFC .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Jamaica, NY
Yarber, James G. .......... USA .... SFC .... 10/23/1983 .. CA .. Vacaville, CA
Young, Jeffrey D. ......... USMC ... SGT .... 10/23/1983 .. NJ .. Moorestown, NJ
Zimmerman, William A. ..... USMC ... 1stLT .. 10/23/1983 .. MI .. Grand Haven, MI
Townsend, Henry Jr. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 12/02/1983 .. AL .. Montgomery, AL
Biddle, Shannon D. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. AL .. Valley Head, AL
Cherman, Sam .............. USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. NY .. Queens, NY
Cox, Manuel A. ............ USMC ... SGT .... 12/04/1983 .. NJ .. Union City, NJ
Daugherty, David L. ....... USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. OH .. Eastlake,OH
Evans, Thomas A. .......... USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. MT .. Conrad, MT
Hattaway, Jeffrey T. ...... USMC ... PFC .... 12/04/1983 .. FL .. Pensacola, FL
Kraft, Todd A. ............ USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. ND .. Devilslake, ND
Lange, Mark A. ............ USN .... LT .... 12/04/1983 .. MI .. Fraser, MI
Perkins, Marvin H. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 12/04/1983 .. TN .. Franklin, TN
Gargano, Edward J. ........ USMC ... CPL .... 01/08/1984 .. MA .. Quincy, MA
Dramis, George L. ......... USMC ... LCPL ... 01/30/1984 .. NJ .. Cape May Court House, NJ
*Hernandez, Rodolfo ....... USMC ... - ...... 01/30/1984 .. TX ..El Paso, TX (see below footnote)
Butler, Alfred III ........ USMC ... CAPT ... 02/09/1984 .. FL .. Cocoa Beach, FL
Wagner, Michael ........... USN .... IS1 .... 09/20/1984 .. NC .. Zebulon,, NC
Welch, Kenneth ............ USA .... WO2 .... 09/20/1984 .. MI .. Grand Rapids, MI
*Hendrickson, John ........ USMC ... - ...... 04/13/1990 .. - .. (see below footnote)
*Simpson, Larry H. Jr. .... USMC ... - ...... 08/31/1992 .. - .. (see below footnote)
Hasenfus, Michael ......... USA .... CPL .... 10/20/1984 .. MA .. Dedham, MA
Stethem, Robert D. ........ USN .... SW2 .... 06/15/1985 .. MD .. Waldorf, MD
Higgins, William R. ....... USMC ... COL .... 07/06/1990 .. KY .. Louisville, KY

*Still checking on the following to confirm information:

PLEASE NOTE: The symbol ' - ' denotes unknown to this web author, and does not
mean that the information is unknown to the Department of Defense.

*Rivers, Paul . ........... USMC ... CPL .... 10/23/1983 .. NY .. Brooklyn, NY
(Listed in article, but his name is not on DOD list, but was in a
2/84 "Leatherneck" magazine article list. Later, it was confirmed by several eye witnesses that he did in fact survive the blast and is living.)

*Hernandez, Rodolfo ........ USMC ... - ...... 01/31/1984 .. DOD - NOT IN LEBANON EVENT (Although the DoD Graves database lhas him listed as not died in Lebanon, but he was wounded on 30 Jan 84 and died weeks later in Germany as a result of wounds.
Some references list him as being wounded 30 Jan and others 31 Jan, but it is
believed he died on 08 Feb 1984 in a German hospital.)
Hendrickson, John ......... USMC ... - ...... 04/13/1990 .. DOD - NOT IN LEBANON EVENT
Simpson, Larry H. Jr. ..... USMC ... - ...... 08/31/1992 .. DOD - NOT IN LEBANON EVENT

(Last 3 on one database, but not on DOD list as being in Lebanon)

Grateful acknowledgment to Bob Whitney for the accuracy of this file.

******************************************

Click here to read the letter from Colonel Geraghty.

Thankful IV

2008-10-20T16:52:00.001-05:00

Recap -

Flo and Jim are from North Indiana. They are IPGR (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) members, Veteran supporters, Jim is a Vet and their son is serving in the Army.During the floods surrounding the passing of hurricane Ike a couple weeks ago, these fine folks lost everything....“Everything”, An interesting word. Seems to be thrown around a lot these days. Let me quantify their loss for you.

With this post starts my pledge of $10 a week. If you’d like to join me, go to Independent Veterans Society of Indiana and click on the donate button (lower right of page). $10 bucks isn’t a lot but if 10 of us do it, that’s $100 a week and by Thanksgiving...Please join me, won’t you?

This week, I am thankful for -

- The weather. Yeah, again. It has been great around here. Getting a little chilly but still, warm sunshine, light breezes. Great ridding weather and great weather to be out in the woods.

- Upper management at my company. We have been... downsizing for about 18 months. Not so much laying people off, but if someone left we didn’t necessarily hire a replacement. So, last week when the parent company laid off several hundred people we did not need to. Profits are up and holding, sales are down but we’re still making money.

- Gas prices. I saw $2.469 over the weekend. If it holds, that should be a hundred bucks a month to the DNR family bottom line! WHOO HOOO!!!

Yep, another ten spot to the folks up in the nor’t. God bless’m!

A Soldier's Thoughts

2008-10-20T09:16:00.003-05:00

JP over at Milblogging.com shared this with me. I think you’ll like it and I believe Stephen speaks the truth.

Army Specialist and blogger Stephen Fortunato was killed earlier this week in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in was s truck by a roadside bomb. His mother shared a blog entry with the Boston Globe, which Stephen had written in August. According to BostonHerald.com: "He was killed on his first day back on patrol after a 19-day leave in Massachusetts. Fortunato was in the 26th Infantry Regiment and served as a gunner in back of a Humvee. He had served in Afghanistan since July."

Here`s an excerpt from the blog entry that was shared with the Boston Globe:

If I may...

I`d like to say something....Just to get it out there so it is clear.
To all the pampered and protected Americans who feel it is their duty to inform me that I am not fighting for their freedom, and that i am a pawn in Bush`s agenda of greed and oil acquisition: Noted, and [expletive deleted] You.

I am not a robot. i am not blind or ignorant to the state of the world or the implications of the " war on terrorism." i know that our leaders have made mistakes in the handling of a very sensitive situation, but do not for one second think that you can make me lose faith in what we, meaning America`s sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers in uniform are doing.

Go to the Boston Globe to read the rest of Stephen's post.

Let Us Not Forget

2008-10-15T17:08:00.002-05:00

Hull Maintenance Technician Second Class Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter, 21, of Mechanicsville, Va.

Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer Richard Costelow, 35, of Morrisville, Pa.

Mess Management Specialist Seaman Lakeina Monique Francis, 19, of Woodleaf, N.C.

Information Systems Technician Timothy Lee Gauna, 21, of Rice, Texas

Signalman Seaman Cherone Louis Gunn, 22, of Rex, Ga.

Seaman James Rodrick McDaniels, 19, of Norfolk, Va.

Engineman Second Class Marc Ian Nieto, 24, of Fond du Lac, Wis.

Electronics Warfare Technician Second Class Ronald Scott Owens, 24, of Vero Beach, Fla.

Seaman Lakiba Nicole Palmer, 22, of San Diego, Calif.

Engineman Fireman Joshua Langdon Parlett, 19, of Churchville, Md.

Fireman Patrick Howard Roy, 19, of Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y.

Electronics Warfare Technician First Class Kevin Shawn Rux, 30, of Portland, N.D.

Mess Management Specialist Third Class Ronchester Manangan Santiago, 22, Kingsville, Texas

Operations Specialist Second Class Timothy Lamont Saunders, 32, of Ringgold, Va.

Fireman Gary Graham Swenchonis Jr., 26, Rockport, Texas

Ensign Andrew Triplett, 31, of Macon, Miss.

Seaman Craig Bryan Wibberley, 19, of Williamsport, Md.

Do you know these men and women?
Do you recognize their names?
In the spirit of not forgetting, do you know what Sunday was the 8th anniversary of?
I must admit, and am ashamed to say, I had to be reminded.
It was the bombing of the USS Cole.

God bless and keep them, be with the families through what I am sure is still a hard time of year.

Thankful - III

2008-10-13T16:24:00.001-05:00

Week 3
Week 2 - Re-cap
Week 1 - The reason for this Thankful thing

One has to be this weather. At least in central Indiana. It was 78 and 85 this weekend. The missus and I rode through Brown County (south central Indiana) Saturday. It was beautiful. All of the fall colors, warm sun and not a cloud in the sky. If you didn’t get outside this weekend, you missed a great October day. And yes, I’ll be thankful for the snow and cold when it comes. May slow down the riding some (yeah, right) but I do love snow and colder weather.

The next thing has to be today, and everything it encompasses. We are in the midst of a technological revolution and thanks to $4+ a gallon gas we are in for a energy revolution. Seriously, stop for a second and think about what is happening around you, hell even this very second... you are reading the blathering words of a guy in central Indiana and these meandering words can be read by just about anybody in the world within in seconds of ‘publishing’. That IS incredible.

Lastly this week has to be the blogosphere. I know, I know... very similar to the above but no, not really. Bear with me for a sec. I’d guess I read 20 maybe 30 blogs, then some of those have guest posters or multiple people posting. No matter my mood I always find someone that agrees with me and someone that totally disagrees with me. There is always someone that had a weekend experience that makes me laugh and laugh hard. There is someone that has had a hard weekend and I cry a little with them. Maybe not friends in the ‘come over and help paint your kitchen’ but friends, none the less. I get to laugh and share a like experience, offer encouragement, rejoice and be humbled.

Jim and Flo, God bless.

You Could Have Heard A Pin Drop

2008-10-08T14:13:00.000-05:00

When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building' by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done?

He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck.

We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane.

At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously ..

'Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.'

The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it.'

'Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!'

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained. 'Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in '44 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

Thankful - II

2008-10-06T14:47:00.001-05:00

A brief re-cap;

Basically the idea is to list 3 things you are thankful for each week from now until Thanksgiving and with each post give a little to a charity. My donations are going to Independent Veterans Society of Indiana. The money gathered will be given to Flo and Jim. Flo and Jim are from North Indiana. They are IPGR (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) members, Veteran supporters, Jim is a Vet and their son is serving in the Army. During the floods surrounding the passing of hurricane Ike a while ago, these fine folks lost everything....

This week I am thankful for;
1 - My family, a wonderful wife and 2 healthy boys. The wife and I got to take both boys to dinner Saturday night.... (that will have to be another post)
2 - This country. I could not imagine living anywhere else.
3 - Our troops. Without them, none of this would be possible.

Go. Donate. I just did.

Click here to donate.
Click here for the week 1 post.

Close Call

2008-10-02T09:25:00.000-05:00

Not me, a friend.

Our buddy, Dirt Bike had to lay his scoot down a couple months ago. He is currently in his second cast but still has the wires and stuff.

I don’t get to see him too much any more since he has moved up to the Lansing, MI area.
If you have a minute, send him a good thought and a prayer.

This is his recount of the moments leading up to and through the accident.

*************

Often ya see in these posts some very good advice designed to keep your mc'ing experience a safe enjoyable one.

After much time to review my asphalt incident" of the 7th I’ve decided to describe ,in detail, what happened, Sort of a "heads-up”, "take what you can use” kind of thing.

Here goes.. first I was overtired, making me less than alert and more importantly not a good decision maker. 2nd I was riding on an unfamiliar road, at night not only was I unfamiliar with the road conditions, I didn’t even know the speed limit. :oops:

I’ve been riding scooters for most of the last 45 years, yes Specialk since I was about 30.. :lol: I’m pretty experienced in terms of saddle miles, road conditions weather conditions, equipment conditions but being human and subject to all the frailties of THAT condition.

I made some very serious mistakes that cost me a very nice, much loved motorcycle, a few patches of derma i had become very attached to, and a big inconvenience in my life/lifestyle for the next 3 months

so here goes:
I left a meeting in town, with friends and since it was a real nice ride’n night I opted to take the long way home. I turned onto a dark road that I had never even been on, in the daylight and began ,sloping ,2-3 mile grade uphill, about a mile into that, a truck on the side of this road made a u-turn in front of me, without even looking,

Not REAL close, but enough to irritate me, so I gassed it up so he could hear my angry pipes; mistake right there, I know better than to ride with my emotions on my sleeve roll but no harm, no foul, settled back in, and kept ride’n up the hill.

Just about a 100 yds b4 the hill crest, an oncoming car failed to dim as they topped the hill, I blink warned, ...they complied ...and I continued on up almost to the top now big mistake here...

QUESTION:

Should I have, on an unfamiliar dark road, with no concept of the conditions on the other Blind side, have immediately slowed down to scan and assess??/

ANSWER! ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!

Did I? ..No :oops:

I gassed it up even more, to make the top in style partly cuz of making overtired decisions, partly cuz I was still a little irritated, partly cuz it was a gorgeous night, the bike was running awesome and the pipes sounded great.

SOOoo.. When I crested the hill, my headlight reached for the stars then as the grade changed and the bike pointed down I became instantly aware, in that ,slow-motion kind of clarity, that while I was doing the "bright light warning" thing I had missed something...

a simple, black and yellow picture, that was a clue to what was going to be happening to me and my beloved motorcycle for the next 5-10 seconds.

A "T"

So I immediately threw out both anchors, but to no avail a rainstorm the night before had left an ugly 6 ft streak of sandy gravel, in my path of travel. The bike went sideways, immediacy, throwing me off the right side. I hit on the right side of my helmet, temple high. Then it was the bikers ballet for about 30 feet, bouncing, rolling and sliding to a quiet stop.

My beloved skooter, having about a ten foot lead on me was across the intersection, in the ditch, still faithfully playing ZZ Top full blast

"bout the shack outside LaGrange"

Then...

agony...

SOOOO...the next 45 minutes was all about age?
blood type?
any allergies to meds?
can ya feel this?
can ya move this?

WHOA,
don’t move that!!!

And...

"Wow man, has your foot always pointed in that direction?"

CAUTION LECTURE ZONE AHEAD

That HELMET and that LEATHER spared me and my family a lot of further inconvenience. I look at them thru different eyes now

RIDE SAFE!!!

dirt....

I AM Thankful

2008-09-29T17:24:00.001-05:00

I read about a little fund raiser over at LL’s, she is replicating the idea from Major Pain. Basically the idea is to list 3 things you are thankful for each week from now until Thanksgiving and with each post give a little to a charity. They are donating to anysolder.com. A very worth cause. Their posts will be on Sundays, mine will be on Mondays.

I’ve decided to hi-jack this idea and bring it a little closer to home.

Flo and Jim are from North Indiana. They are IPGR (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) members, Veteran supporters, Jim is a Vet and their son is serving in the Army.

During the floods surrounding the passing of hurricane Ike a couple weeks ago, these fine folks lost everything....

“Everything”, An interesting word. Seems to be thrown around a lot these days. Let me quantify their loss for you.

Home - still standing. Uninhabitable. Lived some time in a camper/trailer without electricity. Still in the camper but now with a generator. Some time soon they will move into an apartment. Mortgage AND rent, that’s effectively two house payments. On a fixed income.
Food - if it wasn’t canned, it’s gone. And even some of that floated away.
Clothing - if they weren’t wearing it, it’s gone. Mold, mildew, rot.
Cars - still own them. Their full of water, mud and crud. It’s amazing how fast things rust away when they get water where they’re not suppose to.
Health - Jim is a disable Veteran. What he physically can do, he’s not allowed to do. He has been ordered to not enter their home again until it is cleaned up. Flo has lost her voice from breathing all of the mold and mildew filled air in the house.
Stuff - furniture, pretty must all water logged, guess they didn’t loose it but it is useless. What was left someone tried to loot. Yes, I said loot. They were stopped but still...
Family - Their son was home on leave from Iraq. The military has seen fit to not send him back to Iraq immediately but they have recalled him to his base in Texas. That didn’t help much.

So.

I’m thankful for;
1 - My home. As frustrating as it can be sometimes, without it, I would be lost.
2 - Friemily (Friends and Family). Not just blood relatives but these (you) people that I call friends. You are a support structure I know is there.
3 - My job *urp*. Seriously, I am paid well. I live well. And because of it, I can help.

With this post starts my pledge of $10 a week. If you’d like to join me, go to Independent Veterans Society of Indiana and click on the donate button (lower right of page). $10 bucks isn’t a lot but if 10 of us do it, that’s $100 a week and by Thanksgiving...

Please join me, won’t you?

Respect,

DNR

Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman

2008-09-23T17:19:00.007-05:00

For the younger folks and those who are unfamiliar with the story below, the movie ONCE WE WERE SOLDIERS, with Mel Gibson told the story of this epic battle and the incredible courage of all those who participated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You're an 18 or 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965. LZ Xray, Vietnam. Your Infantry Unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the Medi-Vac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see a Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses.

And, he kept coming back......

13 more times.....

He took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Medal of Honor Recipient Ed Freeman died 20AUG08 at the age of 80, in Boise, ID.

May God rest his soul!

The 10th Mountain Division

2008-08-01T16:31:00.004-05:00

During the trip out west, we spent about a day with two fantastic people. Joe and Lois. We met them at the USS Indianapolis Survivors reunion parade here in Indy last year. Lois is the niece of one of the survivors. Great people, fed us, let us stay in their mountain cabin. The 3br, 3ba, 2 car ga ‘cabin’ complete with a deck with the views noted below is their summer retreat, they call it a cabin, I call it a resort...

Anyway...

In one of our many military based conversations, Joe tells us about the previous owner of his cabin. If I remember correctly, the guy (his name escapes me) was a member of the 10th Mountain Division in WWII. He built the cabin up there at 7-8k feet 50+ years ago when there was nothing. I cannot imagine. I got winded up there just going up 4-5 steps on their deck, little lone ‘build’ something up there. Hell, pilots have to put on oxygen at 10,000 feet.

Joe and Lois added on to the cabin a few years ago, so it a bit larger now but still the most awesome views.

Many other 10th Mountain guys returned from the French and Italian Alps, loving the mountains, to start and revitalize the ski slopes that now dominate the Rocky Mountain landscape.

In that discussion Joe starts telling us about a book. One of the guys from the 10th Mountain comes home and puts together a multi picture ‘scrap book’ (I believe there was 1,000 pictures) complete with descriptions and comments about each picture. The comments include locations, men’s names and their ranks. In hauntingly many cases there are “... was killed weeks after this picture was taken.” Or “... died of injuries sustained 6 months after this.”

He made 1,000 copies.

OK... let that sink in. 1,000 copies... in post WWII America there is not a Kinko’s down around the corner. No color copiers or printers. You didn’t place all the pictures in a graphics editor and print it. This guy had 1,000 copies of each photograph printed and mounted each in a book along with the description. Now that’s dedication to recording history. We need that today.... but that's another post.

Sometime in there while we are talking, Joe disappears and comes back with a copy of 'the book'. One of the original, photographs printed in sepia because that’s how they printed them, copies. As I’m flipping through the pages, in complete awe of the history in my hands, I came across this photo and caption.

To me. This says it all about cards, letters and care packages for our troops.

Everyone knows someone that knows someone currently in the sand box.

Go.

Now.

Get their address, send them something. Tell them thanks, tell them you’re proud of their service.

Even if you never hear from them, they'll appriciate it. Really.

SSG Norman H. Currin

2008-07-29T10:38:00.003-05:00

This weekend a friend of mine (Kat with the Georgia PGR) had the honor of standing next to a Vietnam hero as he passed in Hospice care. I personally had never met Norm, I truly wish I had. We, the people of this world, are less as a whole from the loss of such a strong and caring man.

God bless and be with the Currin family and friends. SSG Currin, Norman H., will not be forgotten.

These are her words.

***********************

This weekend, I lost a friend and hero. He was the living embodiment of all a hero should be, and was strong till the end. In an attempt to process everything that has happened, and so that I always remember, I've written this below:

SSG Norman H. Currin went to be with the Lord shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, 2008.

Exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War messed him up. For thirteen years, he fought serious physical problems all the time. Six of those years, he got dialysis 3 times a week and for many years was also confined to a wheelchair.

The last six months were a whirlwind of hospital stays back-to-back-to-back - strokes, pnumonia, complications from being a dialysis patient, infection of his dialysis port & bedsores, and lastly, a massive heart attack on Tuesday. Nothing the docs could have done would have saved him, the treatments would have killed him. Norman bravely made the decision to accept hospice care.

Despite massive amounts of morphine and being in a medically-induced coma, he still communicated. He'd squeeze our hands when we said certain things (any of his friends' names or anything about motorcycles, the military, or especially his dear family, for example). The day before he died, while on "enough morphine to choke a horse" (said the nurse), he fully and completely woke up and looked at each one of us - plain as day told each of us one by one, "I love you." He was holding my hand so tightly, my hand fell asleep. He held my hand and the hands of his family and friends strongly off and on for hours all weekend- always his squeezes were in response to something that was said to him, not simply random.

About 3 hours before he left us, he woke up again. He couldn't open his eyes or talk, tho he was obviously trying. He would turn in the direction of our voices and smile -. SMILE!! - at us. Then he slipped back into his deep sleep once more...Shortly thereafter, his lungs were completely filled with fluid as a result of no dialysis for the past week --- a few more brave (but ineffective) breaths, and he was gone.

A phone call was made as planned upon his passing, and others from the Patriot Guard Riders, together with some riders from the Wingmen and Sons of Thunder who were his dearest, dearest friends, came to the hospital and escorted him and his family to the funeral home in the middle of the night. Talk about an amazing and humbling honor.

He was treated cruelly upon his return from Vietnam, as so many of our veterans were. But I have not the slightest doubt that in Heaven, God made it up to him hugely with the biggest, best welcome home parade and celebration EVER.

Freedom is not free. Those who fight for it - now and in past conflicts - deserve our utmost honor and respect. We will never fully know or understand all they sacrificed on our behalf. To those who served in Vietnam and were unappreciated, I offer my genuine and heartfelt gratitude. Know that you made a difference - know that we are proud of you, know that you are dearly and truly loved. And for those who never once have heard it said in all this time: Welcome home. You did us proud.

Ballad of the Patriot Guard

2008-05-02T08:25:00.000-05:00