This is a beautiful sunny Sunday here in Maryland. So peaceful. Not a worry in the world. This day is truly a masterpiece created by God.
God created this beautiful day and my surroundings and my life and all things. Our brothers and sisters in uniform put their lives on the line everyday to preserve it and make it possible for me to enjoy it.
My very dear friend, Bruce Salisbury sent this video to me. It brings up deep feelings within me, so strong and so humbling, that all I can say is "Thank you! Thank you with all my heart. Thank you for putting it all on the line everyday to keep me free. Job well done!"
I think the following video is appropriate at this time.
A military tribute is a formal, or informal way for those of us living in this proud land to say "Thanks!" to all who serve now, or in the past. It allows us to share our pride, our hopes and our tears with those around us.
It is a well know fact that these days it is almost impossible for Dad to view any type of military tribute without shedding tears. They often are tears of sadness for seeing another young life cut short to pay for our freedom. Tears because so many of our children have grown up and have had to endure the pain of war around the world. Tears of happiness that those wars are not
usually in our back yards. Tears of pride to see so many young people standing up in the face of aggression to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
America has a strong and proud history of millions of young men and women serving to protect our freedom, and the freedom of people around the world. So many have sacrificed so much. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice. Freedom is not free.
These three videos today are among the most popular military tribute videos available online today. Watch them. Enjoy them. Say a prayer of thanks for all those who serve.
President Barack Obama will posthumously award Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in Afghanistan, White House officials announced on July 24, 2009.
The ceremony, scheduled for Sept. 17 at the White House, will mark the first time Obama confers the highest military honor, making Monti the sixth service member to receive the Medal of Honor for service in Afghanistan or Iraq since Sept. 11, 2001, all of which have been awarded posthumously.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American manufacturers to survive the Great Depression. Harley-Davidson also survived a media-accelerated negative image of motorcyclists, a period of poor quality control, and competition with Japanese manufacturers.
The company sells heavyweight (over 750 cc) motorcycles designed for cruising on the highway. Harley-Davidson motorcycles (popularly known as "Harleys") have a distinctive design and exhaust note. They are especially noted for the tradition of heavy customization that gave rise to the chopper-style of motorcycle. Except for the modern VRSC model family, current Harley-Davidson motorcycles reflect the styles of classic Harley designs.
World War I
In 1917, the United States entered World War I and the military demanded motorcycles for the war effort. Harleys had already been used by the military in the Pancho Villa Expedition but World War I was the first time the motorcycle had been adopted for combat service. Harley-Davidson provided about 15,000 machines to the military forces during World War I.
The 1920s
Harley-Davidson 1000 cc HT 1923By 1920, Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. Their motorcycles were sold by dealers in 67 countries. Production was 28,189 machines.
In 1921, a Harley-Davidson, ridden by Otto Walker, was the first motorcycle ever to win a race at an average speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h).
During the 1920s, several improvements were put in place, such as a new 74 cubic inch (1200cc) V-Twin, introduced in 1922, and the "Teardrop" gas tank in 1925. A front brake was added in 1928.
In the late summer of 1929, Harley-Davidson introduced its 45 cubic inch flathead V-Twin to compete with the Indian 101 Scout and the Excelsior Super X. This was the "D" model, produced from 1929 to 1931. Riders of Indian motorcycles derisively referred to this model as the "three cylinder Harley" because the generator was upright and parallel to the front cylinder. The 2.745 in (69.7 mm) bore and 3.8125 in (96.8 mm) stroke would continue in most versions of the 750 engine; exceptions include the XA and the XR750.
World War II
Harley copied the BMW R71 to produce its XA model.One of only two American cycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression, Harley-Davidson again produced large numbers of motorcycles for the US Army in World War II and resumed civilian production afterwards, producing a range of large V-twin motorcycles that were successful both on racetracks and for private buyers.
Harley-Davidson, on the eve of World War II, was already supplying the Army with a military-specific version of its 45" WL line, called the WLA. (The A in this case stood for "Army".) Upon the outbreak of war, the company, along with most other manufacturing enterprises, shifted to war work. Over 90,000 military motorcycles, mostly WLAs and WLCs (the Canadian version) would be produced, many to be provided to allies. Harley-Davidson received two Army-Navy ‘E’ Awards, one in 1943 and the other in 1945, which were awarded for Excellence in Production.
Harley produced the WLC for the Canadian military.Shipments to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program numbered at least 30,000. The WLAs produced during all four years of war production generally have 1942 serial numbers. Production of the WLA stopped at the end of World War II, but was resumed from 1950 to 1952 for use in the Korean War.
The U.S. Army also asked Harley-Davidson to produce a new motorcycle with many of the features of BMW’s side-valve and shaft-driven R71. Harley largely copied the BMW engine and drive train and produced the shaft-driven 750 cc 1942 Harley-Davidson XA. This shared no dimensions, no parts and no design concepts (except side valves) with any prior Harley-Davidson engine. Due to the superior cooling of an opposed twin, Harley’s XA cylinder heads ran 100 °F (55 °C) cooler than its V-twins. The XA never entered full production: the motorcycle by that time had been eclipsed by the Jeep as the Army’s general purpose vehicle, and the WLA—already in production—was sufficient for its limited police, escort, and courier roles. Only 1,000 were made and the XA never went into full production. It remains the only shaft-driven
Harley-Davidson ever made.
Is it any small wonder that Harley Davidson is an integral part of American history and that you still see so many used Harleys on the road today?
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (on May 25 in 2009). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.
Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each gravesite at National Cemeteries. Many Americans also use Memorial Day to honor other family members who have died.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars take donations for poppies in the days leading up to Memorial Day; the poppy’s significance to Memorial Day is the result of the John McCrae poem "In Flanders Fields."
In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also used as a time for picnics, barbecues, family gatherings, and sporting events. One of the longest-standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.
Some Americans view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season (with the 4th of July as the very hot middle). In the Northern United States, it is the traditional weekend in which people reopen pools that had been covered for the winter. The national "Click It or Ticket" campaign ramps up beginning Memorial Day weekend, noting the beginning of the most dangerous season for car accidents and other safety-related incidents. The United States Air Force’s "101 Critical Days of Summer," marking the period that statistically has shown an increase in accidents, begin on this day as well.
Memorial Day formerly was observed on May 30. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocate returning to this fixed date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:“ Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.”
Since 1987, Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional date.
Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the places creating an early memorial day include Sharpsburg, Maryland, located near Antietam Battlefield; Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia; Carbondale, Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Union dead, and the several Confederate Memorial Days.
According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who died in captivity. The freed slaves re interred the dead Union soldiers from the mass grave to individual graves, fenced in the graveyard and built an entry arch declaring it a Union graveyard. This was a daring action for them to take in the South shortly after the North’s victory. On May 30, 1868, the freed slaves returned to the graveyard with flowers they had picked from the countryside and decorated the individual gravesites, thereby creating the first Decoration Day. A parade by thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers from the area was followed by patriotic singing and a picnic.
The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. The village was credited with being the place of origin because it observed the day on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter. The friendship between General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General John A. Logan, who helped bring attention to the event nationwide, likely was a factor in the holiday’s growth.
Logan had been the principal speaker in a citywide memorial observation on April 29, 1866, at a cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois, an event that likely gave him the idea to make it a national holiday. On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization, Logan issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" be observed nationwide. It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle. The tombs of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in remembrance.
Many of the states of the U.S. South refused to celebrate Decoration Day, due to lingering hostility towards the Union Army and also because there were relatively few veterans of the Union Army who were buried in the South. A notable exception was Columbus, Mississippi, which on April 25, 1866 at its Decoration Day commemorated both the Union and Confederate casualties buried in its cemetery.
The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the United States Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The holidays included Washington’s Birthday, now celebrated as Presidents’ Day; Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.
After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all fifty states adopted the measure within a few years. Veterans Day was eventually changed back to its traditional date. Ironically, most corporate businesses no longer close on Veterans Day, Columbus Day, or President’s Day, with the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and/or New Year’s Eve often substituted as more convenient "holidays" for their employees. Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the beginning of the "summer vacation season." This role is filled in neighboring Canada by Victoria Day, which occurs either on May 24 or the last Monday before that date, placing it exactly one week before Memorial Day.
Waterloo’s designation as the birthplace took place just in time for the village’s centennial observance. The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 587 on May 17 and May 19, 1966 respectively, which reads in part as follows: "Resolved that the Congress of the United States, in recognition of the patriotic tradition set in motion one hundred years ago in the Village of Waterloo, NY, does hereby officially recognize Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of Memorial Day…"
On May 26, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a Presidential Proclamation recognizing Waterloo as the Birthplace of Memorial Day.
Today, take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and say a prayer of thanks for each and every man, woman and child who has made the ultimate sacrifice while in service to our country.
Dad wishes to thank Wikipedia and all it’s supporters for this ongoing work in support of Memorial Day. Thank You!
12 year old Lexxi Saal has written a song as a tribute to the Men & Women serving in the United States Armed Forces. Lexxi Saal is a 12 year old vocal talent climbing the ranks of the music industry with the desire and dedication to continue improving on her gift that many believe will to take her to the top!
Lexxi has written and recorded this moving tribute to the men and women in the military now. "From the mouths of babes"..comes a truth and passion that we, as adults, could certainly benefit from if only we believed as strongly as they do. Please watch this video with an open and receptive heart and say a prayer for those serving in the military as this memorial day approaches. Pray for their strength and survival.
Here are a few of the comments that accompany this new YouTube video:
…"I think that this is a great tribute and we should all stop and say "Thank You" to every Servicemen and every Servicewomen"
…"This beautiful tribute touched the deepest part of my soul. It was created by a young lady with the voice of an angel. Forward it on as it may play a significant role in lifting our soldiers morale. To my cousin Sgt. Robin Smith who is currently serving in Iraq., to all soldiers, and veterans, We salute you! You NEVER forgot what Honor, Courage and Committment means to you. May God protect you wherever you are!"
…"Thank you Lexxi!! I am an Army veteran who served in 3 combat tours between1989-1997. I appreciate this as I know all who are graced by your blessed message. I know as a veteran when you are called to perform your duty, you have to do what you are sworn in to do. I am sure your gifts from God will continue to be a blessing to not only our troops but all who get a chance to listen and learn as well. So Thank You lil’ maam!! God Bless you and your family continually."
…"Lexxi, I am a soldier in the army. I served eleven months in Iraq and it is people like yourself that keep us strong and remind us exactly what we are fighting for. I was very touched by your song and i thank you from the bottom of my heart. Not many people are as talented and as compassionate as yourself, I hope nothing changes. God bless and have a wonderful year."
Dad has always said you don’t have to support the war or the administration, but you certainly owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who serve in the military to protect our freedom. Additionally I wish not only to say "Thank you" to all of them who are currently serving, or ever have, but also to the many thousands of people who are brave enough to stand up and show their thanks and gratitude with their own tributes.
Thank You Lexxi!
Good morning to all of the loyal readers of American Valor – Military Tribute. This is just a note to all of you to let you know we are going to try something new, starting today. We are going to begin publishing articles, by numerous authors, with a military theme. I think this will offer you a little more variety but still keeping in line with the upbeat approach to our men
and women in service.
I would strongly encourage you to post your comments on any article that you like or dislike. This is the only way we will know if we are heading in the right direction.
Many of you have probably already seen this story. It has been travelling over the net for a while now. But I think it deserves a military tribute spot because it so accurately reveals the side of our military troops that is never shown by the mainstream media.
Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer.. I immediately turned around and witnessed One of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.
When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and Cheered for, it hit me. I’m not alone. I’m not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our Service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said ‘hi.’
The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.
The young soldier, who didn’t look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter’s name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up
When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, ‘I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.’ He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying ‘your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and He is coming home very soon.’
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom.. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it’s good to be an American.
RED FRIDAYS —– Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the ’silent majority’. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.
We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing.. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops.
Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday – and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear Something red..
By word of mouth, press, TV — let’s make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers
If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once ’silent’ majority is on their side more than ever; certainly more than the media lets on.
The first thing a soldier says when asked ‘What can we do to make things better for you?’ is…We need your support and your prayers
Let’s get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.
No I am not about Ford Mustangs, although our first brand new car was a 69 Mustang. Wow!
This is not about a commercial. This is about a company that has connected with the public in a time of need and desperation and fear.
You cannot truly appreciate the emotion in this film clip, between father and son, unless you too have been gone, separated from your loved ones and had to face a homecoming and all it’s uncertainty.
Dad was just shown this article about our Medal of Honor Hero Kenneth Worley written by Steve Lynn with The Daily Times in Farmington NM. This story highlights the long time efforts of our close friend Bruce Salisbury.
Bruce Salisbury wants people to remember Marine Lance Cpl. Kenneth Lee Worley. Salisbury, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, wears a button with a photo of Worley on his shirt collar. "He’s one of my heroes," Salisbury said.
The city lacks a memorial for Worley, who gave his life for fellow soldiers and earned the Medal of Honor. That has Salisbury, of Aztec, pushing the city to announce it has dedicated land for a memorial to Worley on March 25, or National Medal of Honor Day.
Marine Corps League and city officials say a memorial will be built, but they have not established a timeline. Details of plans to build one are sketchy six months after those officials learned about him and four decades after Worley died. Worley’s family and Marines that served with him have waited too long, Salisbury said. "That’s a long time for them to wait to have him recognized and more than just having his name on a rock," he said.
Worley died Aug. 12, 1968, at age 20, when he threw himself on a grenade nearest him and his comrades, according to his medal’s citation. His body absorbed the force of the explosion so his five comrades sustained only minor wounds. "Through his extraordinary initiative and inspiring valor in the face of almost certain death, he saved his comrades from serious injury and possible loss of life," the citation says.
Salisbury hopes donations will fund a bronze memorial statue of Worley in his military uniform, looking at a boy in the Young Marines. The local Marine Corps League has other plans. The league wants a large rock placed at the entrance of All Veterans Memorial Park with a plaque naming Worley as a Medal of Honor recipient, said Bill Wells, commandant for the league in Aztec. The league has neither set a deadline, nor has it raised any money, though it is seeking private donations and state funding for the memorial, Wells said. The league does not have final design plans yet. "We’re on top of it," Wells said. "We’re doing this (as) fast as we can but it seems like we get a few interruptions every once in a while and sometimes the wheels of progress turn slowly."
Kenneth Worley’s achievement
Worley’s grave in Westminster, Calif., is marked with a bronze plaque saying he achieved the award. A plaque in Edmonds, Wash., town hall also lists him, though he never lived there; his foster parents did. Worley’s name is engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Farmington.
The machine gunner and rifleman is one of 293 Marines and more than 3,400 service members to receive the medal since it was established during the Civil War.
Born in Farmington on April 27, 1948, Worley is the only Marine born in New Mexico to earn the award, said Terence W. Barrett, a psychologist and instructor at North Dakota State University who has written an unpublished book about Medal of Honor recipients. Barrett researched Worley and 180 other Medal of Honor recipients as part of a study on bravery. There are a "multitude" of hospitals, airports, parks, streets, schools, highways, bridges, playgrounds, scholarships and others named for the recipients, Barrett said. The U.S. Navy alone has named 55 ships after award recipients whom Barrett studied. Some World War II recipients had ships named for them before that war ended. Other recipients have had to wait much longer, some 20 to 60 years, as the military investigated their actions to determine whether to give an award and then for sponsorship of a memorial.
"The tribute in Farmington to Kenneth Worley coming 40 years after his actions is not entirely unusual," Barrett said. The city, Marine Corps League and others should take responsibility for getting the memorial built, he said.
Mayor Bill Standley said the Marine Corps League must take the lead in building it. "The city’s role is to assist them in any way that we can in accomplishing the completion of the memorial," said Standley, a member of the league. The city has agreed to a "possible" site off Tucker Avenue, the entrance to All Veterans Memorial Park. Standley said fund-raising events could set up an account with the city so that people may make tax-deductible donations. "Worley is a Marine Corps brother and I want to see it happen," he said.
A Work in progress
Salisbury values that Farmington has a Medal of Honor recipient. "You could go to a lot of towns in America and ask them how many Medal of Honor recipients are born in their town or city and they would say, none,’" he said. He hopes that city officials and others will take steps — for instance, by announcing plans on National Medal of Honor Day — to get a memorial built at some point. "It’s a work in progress like every memorial," he said.
Anyone who would like to donate to the memorial of Medal of Honor recipient Lance Cpl. Kenneth Lee Worley may call Bill Wells at (505) 801-6104 or (505) 324-8155.
We picked three videos for their outstanding military tributes to our troops on deployment.
This Christmas day we wish you the best of all worlds. We hope for your safe and timely return home to your families.
Most of all we thank you for protecting us and all that our country stands for. Without you and the sacrifices each and everyone of you makes on a daily basis, not only would we not be free,…we would not be here.
Thank you with all my heart and soul for everything you stand for. We love you, respect you and thank you.
And lest anyone forgets…we need you! Thank you and God bless!
The original version was written by Lance Corporal James M. Schmidt in 1987 under the title "Merry Christmas, My Friend".
The audio recording of this adapted version which you will hear was recorded by Father Ted Berndt and his daughter Ellen Scout. Father Berndt was a priest at Bread of Life Charismatic Episcopal Church in Dousman, WI, a proud Marine and a WWII Purple Heart recipient.
The poem was recorded in one take. The recording received a national A.I.R. (Achievement in Radio) award from the March of Dimes and continues to be played in radio stations across the country.
Father Berndt passed away March 19th, 2004 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. According to his daughter, "All he ever wanted to do was touch lives… to make a difference. We are blessed to share ‘A Soldier’s Silent Night’ again with you this Christmas.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you serving in the military now, or at any time in the past. Your sacrifices have made it possible for people like me to enjoy a long and prosperous life.
I served in the US Army from 1968 to 1977 during what was quietly referred to as the Second US Civil War. Publicly, in the media, it was a war between the short-haired soldiers and the long-haired students, ‘Hippies". Most, not all, of the young people organized in the protest groups were still in college and had never served their country. Their college professors were teaching them to think for themselves and not swallow the drivel of the "Establishment". They learned well.
They knew it was morally wrong to take a life and God knows the media splashed plenty ‘life-taking’ scenes across the magazines, and newspapers and televisions to cause the whole nation to cower in disgust. They were taught that American soldiers were messengers of death, instruments of war, mercenaries and worst of all…baby killers. They never seemed to understand the connection between war and freedom. The connection between military decisions and politics. The connection between love of country and hatred of aggression. The connection between love of freedom and hatred of oppression. The connection between freedom and the price you must pay to maintain it.
Afghanistan. Iraq. 9/11. Twin towers. Terrorism. Genocide. Dictatorship. Oppression. Do you have a feel for any of it?
Laugh and ridicule the garbage man or the honey dipper for their smelly jobs but try to survive any length of time without them.
Presidential campaign 2008. Do you remember any of the mudslinging that took place then. Some was pretty nasty. You may have even had a few words to spout yourself about people who didn’t agree with your viewpoint. I know I sure did. Do you know how many countries you could live in around the world where you would have been tortured and/or shot for those opinions.
Where the opposition party would have been secretly eliminated, maybe while they slept? The number is staggering.
The Eagle is stilly mourning the losses of 9/11. But as ferocious and monumental as that attack was, it was a first for us. The first time we were attacked at home. People of other countries live with this on a recurring daily basis, and probably will until the end of time.
Do you remember the passage "…and there will be wars and rumors of wars…"
It is OK to hate death. It is OK to disagree with what is going on in Afghanistan and Irag. People want to show their ignorance and belittle what our troops are doing over their by tying it into the greed of the oil companies and big business. For those of you who feel that way I feel sorry for you and your ill-informed ignorance. If you don’t like what you see, then change it at the voting booth. Don’t run your mouth blabbing obscenities and bull mush in front of a TV camera when some ratings seeking moron hold a microphone up to you and asks you "What do you think of the horrible atrocities in Iraq?"
Do you have any idea who really sees and hears that venom? Our troops. If you are sitting in a bunker or a foxhole or behind an adobe wall with rounds flying over your head. With mortars exploding all around you. With your buddy lying beside you with part of his chest missing and gurgling as the blood works it’s way out of his throat and he stares into eternity. You are clasping your hand over your pocket where your small bible resides. Where the picture of your loved ones is protected. Where you are proud to be serving to protect and defend. Then you hear a dispatch from some US politician seeking to gain popular votes by calling you a baby-killer. Or you read the story of some young person screaming obscenities because "innocent" civilians were killed you a recent attack.
Your life is on the line to protect these very people and they are trying to destroy you. I’ll tell you how you feel. Like crap. Disgusted. Wounded. But most of all, betrayed and hurt, painfully and deeply.
People. Wake up. Put down your Wii controllers for a moment. Stop cursing because you were the last in a long line of shoppers to miss out on getting your own High Def 99" Liquid Plasma, flat screen TV with Blue Ray. Wake up and smell the roses.
We have become fat and obnoxious. We have become a lazy people. Too lazy to see the truth. Too self concentrated to see anything but "ME". and "NOW",
As the saying goes:
If you can read…thank a teacher. If you can read in English…thank a soldier.
I can run and scream and cry and shout and curse and jump and complain and learn and disagree all because I am free. I am free ONLY BECAUSE of the men and women serving so proudly and selflessly in the military. The ones who put their lives on the line every moment of every day to pay for my freedom and your freedom and the freedom of our country.
Stop focusing on everyone’s differences. Get over it. We are getting ready to enter a new time in our history in one of the most devastating financial times we have ever known. And who did we, as an American public elect? An American man! Now he does just happen to be black, but he is an American. He is not an African-American or a German-American or a Cuban-American. Praise be to God he is an American. Maybe now we can put slavery and the civil war to rest. I am sick and tired of all the Hispanic translation signs in the stores today. Get over it. You are in America. Good grief people, I am part Cherokee, where are my signs? Where are the signs for all the other foreign ingredients that contribute to our culture? Get over it!
We are not a "tossed salad", we are a "Melting Pot" of cultures. Every culture of every person who comes to American adds to the richness of our heritage, it doesn’t give them the right to segregate it and hold it up and get special treatment. And that is the glory of freedom. I can call any left-winged liberal who wants to break America down into separate isolated segments a blooming idiot. If you aren’t representing the people as a whole, get out of office. You have no right to be in office and spearhead special interests.
OK folks. Dad has had his say. Keep checking back and you will see that I spout off every now and then. But more important is the fact that I am free to do so. You don’t have to agree with me, nor I you. You have the right to disagree with me, but you will never have the right to gag me. That is the glory and the beauty of freedom.
Now put the self centeredness and the hatred and the politics and the hurt and the pain and the tears behind you. Get down on bended knee and give thanks for our freedom and for the men and women who are willing to risk their lives for our freedom. Let us remember those in the military and the separation they are enduing at this time of year. Say a special prayer of thanks for them. Take a moment out of your busy schedules and share some kindness with their families here at home. Lend a helping hand. Volunteer some time. Share your gifts. Share your love and gratitude. Show your appreciation.
We are all Americans, through and through and proud of it!
Wow! All I wanted to do was give a patriotic thank you to our troops away from home for the holidays! I just wanted to pledge my eternal support and gratitude to them for their sacrifice. If I have offended everyone in America, but gotten my message through, then it was all worth it.
Thank you! Merry Christmas to all of you! May God keep you and bless you abundantly in the year to come!
"For the Mariano family, led by Jean Mariano, you take the memory of her son Jason D. Lewis — age 30 when he and two other sailors were killed by a makeshift Baghdad bomb in the summer of 2007 — and you host a fishing derby in his name.
And then you donate the proceeds to other military families.
You stand proud at the national anthem, because Jason died doing what he wanted — fighting as a U.S. Navy Seal. You attend every ceremony where your son’s name is inscribed on a wall. You get to know other military families who’ve lost someone, and you talk about your membership in this club no one wants to join.
But your grief is private, too. On the first birthday after his death, you bake his favorite cake (pistachio) and head to the cemetery with some chairs, which you set up at his grave. Throughout the day, members of your big, unruly family come by, and you serve that cake. Yes, it’s odd, eating among the gravestones, but not so odd as a world without Jason.
You think of his three children — Jack, now 5; Max, 4; and Grace, 2 — and you create a memory book full of photos that confound his sons because they look so much like their father when he was a boy. And your throat catches at the photo of baby Grace reaching for her father’s face.
On the first Veterans Day after his death, you go with your son’s widow and your grandchildren to Disney World — where the family had planned to go before Jason died. You do that because the kids have been excited about this trip, and life must go on. You bring along as much family as you can. Though it’s surreal, you do the Magic Kingdom up right, because Jason — a happy baby, a laughing boy, a smiling man — would have done precisely that. And while the kids are exploring the rides, you watch a beautiful monarch butterfly float over a small patch of grass, and you think, "Jason’s here."
And this past summer, a year after his death — it feels wrong to call it an "anniversary" because "anniversary" sounds happy — you head back to the cemetery and do the whole meet-and-greet again, minus the cake. And on Monday of this past week, you drive to Hartford with friends and family from New Milford and Brookfield to lay a wreath at the Capitol as part of Wreaths Across America. And before you speak, you fluff the flags of the different military branches attached to the wreath because you want things to look just right.
And then you stand next to the governor — she’s from Brookfield, too — and you read a speech about service and sacrifice. And the governor, who spoke at Jason’s funeral, talks about feeling grateful for people like your son — and like Sgt. Joseph M. Nolan, a Waterbury native who died in Fallujah on Nov. 18, 2004. His father stands nearby, with family members.
When the unthinkable happened, Jean told herself that at least her son was doing what he wanted to do. How many people can say that? His grandmother Frances Mariano still talks about how blessed she was to have Jason and her other grandchildren grow up around her and gather around a table loaded with spaghetti and chicken.
And Jason’s aunt Janet Mariano has his laminated photo attached to her car, with a quote that starts: "We all sleep safe in our beds because there are rough men who stand ready in the night." She still sometimes cries if someone asks her about Jason, and she hates that she cries.
Oh, yes. You do that, too. On some days, you cry for that life cut short because that is all you can manage to do. You cry."
Bruce Lee Salisbury has a reputation for being stubborn. He first demonstrated that in 1945 at the age of 15 when he joined the service after his mother refused to allow him to play football in high school. He retired from the Air Force as a master sergeant in 1966.
Since he had not finished high school, Bruce started college studies at the San Juan Branch in Farmington, along with his wife Dorothy. They had three children in school; each had a job and a burning desire to finish their educations. Dottie and Bruce graduated in 1979. His degree was through the College of Arts and Sciences; hers, the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.
In 1998, a diagnosis of lung cancer forced him to stop working. During his extended rehab process, he began working on the project to memorialize friends and family members either killed or gone missing while fighting for America. His goal: designate a mountain peak as Mount KIA/MIA that could become a place where families and friends journey to remember lost loved ones.
When Bruce started his quest, he attempted to have one of 33 mountains (within Colorado) with the name Sheep Mountain, renamed, but met with resistance. So, he looked for a suitable peak that was without a designated name figuring there would be no real reason for refusal. He was right; there was no real reason for refusal, but plenty of resistance just the same. One of the biggest objections to overcome was presented by the Bureau of Land Management in July of 2005. They voiced concern about naming a feature with a U.S. Military commemorative subject matter, in the midst of many features commemoratively named after Native Americans. Andrew Cowell, a linguist who specializes in Native American languages, stated that the name "KIAMIA" could be construed and possibly misrepresented as a garbled Ute name.
Not one willing to accept ‘No’ for an answer, Bruce contacted Thomas Givon, Distinguished Professor (emeritus) of Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Oregon, who had worked for the Southern Ute Tribe for 10 years as the founding director of the Ute Language Program. That language is complex but it was Givon’s opinion that Kiya-miya-vat is a rather appropriate name for a mountain that would honor Ute, and all veterans.
A warrior, once departed, crosses to "the other side," a place often described as one where a person may walk about in peace, without care, happy; in other words, " a place where people walk about laughing." Final approval came first from the Bureau of Land Management in 2005 and the US Forest Service in 2006. Mt. KIA/MIA is an 11,282 ft summit in the Sawatch Range in north-central Saguache County, CO, close to Marshall Pass, from which one can see the mountain close-up.
This is an ongoing Military Tribute to Medal of Honor recipient Kenneth Lee Worley. It is spearheaded by a veteran who has become a good friend in the cause…Bruce Salisbury.
Bruce has been working non-stop night and day since I first met him earlier this year on the memory of Kenneth Lee Worley. If you are an artist, a sculptor or know someone who is, please have them contact Bruce at the email or telephone number below.
This is the next stage in the project. I hope one day to bring it all together and be able to tell you the COMPLETE story of our young hero Kenneth Lee Worley.
Dad offers a strong American Valor Military Tribute to Bruce Salisbury for his untiring efforts to bring well deserved attention to a young man who gave his all for our country that others may live.
Kenneth Lee Worley
Memorial Concept
A memorial Bronze to honor Lance Corporal Kenneth Lee Worley, USMC, CMOH.
I would like to see a bronze of Kenneth Lee Worley shown standing easy in his combat gear and alongside him a bronze of one of the Young Marines who are dedicated to Worley’s honor. The young man, age 8 or 9 to be looking up at and saluting his hero.
Conceptually, the Young Marine will represent Worley when he was young and dreaming of growing up. It will represent Worley harking back to his own childhood, as well as the son that Worley never met and young people all over America who look up to the ideal of heroism.
I don’t think Worley should be presented in Dress Uniform or wearing medals or devices other than his rifle and gear and the working tools of a Marine Corps Lance Corporal in Vietnam in 1968.
I would like to ask any artist who might like to attempt sketching their vision of this memorial concept to contact me and let me share what they see and feel. While I cannot offer to pay you for your effort, I will let people know who was the sketch artist in every case.
I received this from my oldest daughter today along with the short message:
"Dad,
Sorry, but it’ll probably make you cry!
Love You!!!"
She was right. It did. I in turn am sending this on to all of you out there. I know there are many millions of you who will find that either now or at some time in the past you have been where this little girl is. I just pray that then or now, you are blessed with the same strength and wisdom and love this little girl has for her dad.
I ask only that after you read this, you would take a brief, quiet moment. Wipe the tear from your eye, and ask God to watch over and keep all of our troops safe and well this Christmas season and return them home to us as soon as possible. Thank you and Merry Christmas! …Dad
Dad’s Poem
Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy’s Day at school,
and she couldn’t wait to go.
But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn’t there today.
But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home..
But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats
One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
a man who wasn’t there.
‘Where’s her daddy at?’
She heard a boy call out.
‘She probably doesn’t have one,’
another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
‘Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day.’
The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.
‘My Daddy couldn’t be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and ho w much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
An d though you cannot see him.
I’m not standing here alone.
‘Cause my daddy’s always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he’ll forever be in my heart’
With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.
And from somewhere there in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.
‘I love my daddy very much,
he’s my shining star.
And if he could, he’d be here,
but heaven’s just too far.
You see he is a Marine
and died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
and taught Americans to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it’s like he never went away.’
< /div>
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.
And to her mother’s amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.
‘I know you’re with me Daddy,’
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them,
but then an entire life to forget them.
Today is the 67th anniversary of the Japanese navy’s horrible bombing of our U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Many people still shudder when they recall the "attacks that struck too close to home".
What a horrific day, one that " will live in infamy"
Looking at a correlation with today…
…a really bad economy
…millions unemployed
…fear of further attacks at home
…secure employment in the military
Such an eerie part of our history and it still shrouds us in intrigue and dark remembrances. Make no mistake about it, the main similarity between then and now…
…men and women of all origins and beliefs enlisting in the US military to protect our country from enemies, both foreign and domestic.
American Valor lifts a half-mast flag today in remembrance of the horrible day when so many of our family members and friends lost their lives in service to our country.
May God keep and bless those that went before us and may He strengthen those of us who remain to carry on the fight.
This military tribute to the surviving 99 Medal of Honor recipients was created by Claudia Montanna. Claudia tells us "In the true American spirit, I would lay my life down for the Love of a friend although I’ve been let down time and time again by those that I placed my trust in … "
Claudia tells us "the earliest living survivor is from WWII. All Medal of Honor recipients from campaigns after Vietnam, to date, were awarded posthumously.
It matters not what your political views are when it comes to the valor that these courageous persons so earned and deserve.
Music is by Hans Zimmer
1 – Theme from Pearl Harbor
2 – Leave No Man Behind
I come from a long line of proud Americans who have served our country since before the Revolutionary War. I pray I do them honor also in this humble presentation.
I was, in part, inspired to make this video presentation having seen a tribute to Ed Freeman, MoH Recipient, who died recently; and also, having heard that Robert Nett died October 19."
The military has a saying, "salute the rank, not the man." But Ronnie Everitt and Newton Brooks, walking down a corridor of raised hands, haven’t worn rank in a long time.
Outside the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, Arnold High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps salute the men – two of Bay County’s few remaining veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.
Dec. 7, 2008, will mark 67 years since the attack and the United States’ entry into World War II. The sneak attack was the opening movement to four years of war; at the end of the three- hour battle almost 2,500 people had been killed and half that number wounded.
But as the era of the last true global conflict drifts further into the past, those who witnessed it must drift, too.
At one point, a Bay County lunch for Pearl Harbor survivors could draw nearly 30 people. With the Oct. 17 death of Burl Smith, the number is down to three.
"They’re coming on down," Everitt said. "But I plan to stay in there for the next 10 years so I can be 100. Once I get to 100 then I’ll be smiling and ready to go."
It`s only fitting that the new bridge, which is in honor of veterans, was dedicated on Veterans Day.
Members of the military say the bridge inspired by Veterans of World War I, will create a place for all veterans and those currently enlisted to reflect on their service.
Ferdinand Luger, or "Red" to those who know him, served with the Army in World War II in 1942. He says he remembers well his time in combat in Africa and Italy and being at the bridge dedication brings back some of those memories.
"The Germans would stay in the monastery and fire at the infantry," Luger says.
The new bridge is inspired by veterans like "Red." On the west end of the bridge eleven spires symbolize the Armistice, which is the peace agreement reached at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month of 1918 to end World War I.
"People will be able to come and reflect and recognize that people fight for our freedom and put their lives on the line and North Dakotans do that so well," says Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, of the ND National Guard.
In addition to the spires, five overlooks on the south side of the bridge each represent and recognize the service branches of the United States Military… Army, Marine Corp., Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The old Memorial Bridge which opened in 1922 was also dedicated to Veterans of World War I. It was meant to be a symbol of something that would stand forever after a turbulent time in history. Red says it`s an honor for the bridge to be dedicated to him and the men who served beside him.
"It makes me feel good. It`s a beautiful bridge," Luger says. "I knew the old one for a long time."
And this bridge dedication will be another memory "Red" will hold on to for the rest of his life.
To get you in the Christmas Spirit we provide these fantastic videos. Enjoy in the spirit in which they were intended.
I love Christmas lights and the Christmas spirit! Happy Holidays!
This entry is dedicated to all the men and women serving in the military at home and abroad. Whether you are able to share the holidays at home with your loved ones or at a distance from overseas, Dad just wants you to know this:
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and a safe return home. Thank you for all that you have sacrificed for us. Thank You!
Amazing Grace in Lights
Trans Siberian Orchestra Light Show
If you have any holiday music or light show videos to share with us please send them to us at Dad@American-Valor.com.
American Valor today spotlights another patriotic American known for supporting our military. Today’s patriotic American spent the last decade working up the corporate ladder, but had that empty feeling, like something was seriously missing in life.
A family tragedy in 2007 led to a total re-evaluation of life and personal goals. The decision was made at that moment to break free from the corporate cage and pursue a lifelong passion for music.
Our proud American recently experienced a moving encounter on a flight where she met a seasoned soldier returning from Iraq. His commitment and honesty moved her deeply and reminded her that we can all make a difference, no matter how small we think it may be. That brief encounter eventually inspired her to write a song.
Released on Veteran’s Day, 2008, her song “My Hero” is a moving tribute to our nation’s armed forces. “Men and women who risk their lives deserve our respect and patronage. I look at these individuals who are working for basically nothing as far as compensation goes – yet they are the most dedicated and mindful people I have met. They possess a
spirit that I long to be a part of and that never seems to be broken.”
Our special lady is a strong supporter of the US troops. She attended the recent USO event for Wounded Warriors and the US Navy ball in New York City where she donated her song “My Hero” to the naval officers in USB flash drives.
Today, Dad is proud to introduce you to the attractive and extremely talented lead singer/ songwriter for the popular Washington D.C. hit band SideFX.
She is the amazing Kim Cameron! Thank you Kim for your support and contribution…for your fantastic military tribute in American Valor style to the men and women serving in the US military around the world. Thank you for all of them!
Not all terrorism is directed at Americans. American soldiers around the world understand the pain and suffering brought on by the terrorist slaughter in Mumbai, India this week.
November 26, 2008 will go down as one of the darkest days in the history of Mumbai and India. Life in the country’s financial capital remained paralysed as terrorists held the city under siege. In a heinous terror attack that the country has seen in recent times, Mumbai came under an unprecedented night attack. ( CNN IBN )
According to Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, 14 policemen and three NSG commandos were killed, including the following officers:
Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief Hemant Karkare,
Additional Commissioner of Police: Ashok Kamte
Encounter specialist: Vijay Salaskar
Senior inspector Shashank Shinde
NSG Commando, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan
NSG Commando Hawaldar Chandar
NSG Commando Gajendra Singh
Aye mere watan ke logo (O! the people of my motherland! :English), was an Indian patriotic song written by Kavi Pradeep and composed by C. Ramchandra (Chitalkar). It was rendered by Lata Mangeshkar around the end of Sino-Indian War. It was famously performed live, by Lata Mangeshkar in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru at the Ramlila grounds, in New Delhi on Republic Day, 26th January, 1963, and a copy of the soundtrack spool
was also gifted to Nehru on the occasion.
None of the artists and technicians involved with the song, including singers, musicians, music director, lyricist, recording studio, sound recordist, charged for the song, and later lyricist, Kavi Pradeep, pledged the royalty of the song to the ‘War Widows Fund’
I just cannot give enough thanks or praise to the men and women of the US military and all that they have done and continue to do for us…for our freedom…and for the freedom of the oppressed people of the world.
Military tribute somehow just doesn’t seem like enough. How do we fully thank someone who is willing to risk their lives for us. How can we say thanks to those who have already died to protect us.
All I can say is thank you. Thank you with all of my heart and soul. Thank you!
Today is a special day to pay tribute to all our veterans. We love them dearly. We respect them with all our might. We are ever grateful for the personal sacrifices they made for us. Please take a moment to say a prayer of thanks for all our veterans and enjoy the videos paying tribute to them.
Happy Veterans Day!
Amazing Grace Veterans Day Tribute
A montage honoring U.S. war veterans from World War 1 to present day. Pictures and clips together with “America the Beautiful,” performed by Lee Greenwood.
We forget that everyday, they are veterans, and too many of them are homeless.
A video trailer of a final piece that will be aired on November 11, 2008. Created by a middle school teacher to be used during an annual Veterans Day Program sponsored by the school each year
This is a commercial that has been airing on Veterans day. It is a very special commercial because they used actual veterans, including myself to do the run. A tight salute to Boeing for this one… Thank you Veterans…. God Bless you all American Valor salutes the veterans of America and offers up to them a full Military Tribute for all time!
When the World War II veteran died in 1985, his stories did, too.No more hearing about how he would stall his Curtiss Helldiver, slipping sideways to avoid the Japanese gunners. No more hearing about how the bombs he dropped blew up a ship and caused so much death.
No more seeing his face soften when he talked about flying in wispy clouds. Like kissing heaven, he’d say.
His grownup children held a simple memorial service. Victor Laverne Miller, 67, dive bomber pilot, Navy Cross recipient, piano player. He willed his body to the University of Kansas School of Medicine.
No remains to bury. No casket. Just a few prayers and hymns and memories.
But over the years, remembering the stories became harder and harder. Like millions of other families whose loved ones fought in one war or another, the Miller family had no documents, nothing on paper proving what he had done.
They didn’t even have a gravesite where they could go to remember him.
At their family gatherings, the question kept coming back: Dad was eligible to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, wasn’t he? Shouldn’t somebody check on it?
Burial now? Without a body? What about the tangle of paperwork? How would you gather all the documents? Where would you even begin?
It all seemed too hard, too intimidating, too time-consuming to try to dig out what they needed. With no military connections in the family, no one to help them through the labyrinth of military archives, it was easier to let go.
Until Jan Girando of Overland Park, the oldest of Miller’s five children, saw a newspaper article on how the national cemetery at Arlington, Va., was filling up. If they were going to get their father the recognition he deserved, now was the time.
Her three sisters and one brother tried. A sister was told it was probably too late. No ashes, no body, no burial. Forget it.
But Girando couldn’t forget. She couldn’t explain why, but she knew gaining this honor for her father would mean a lot to her family, now scattered across the country.
He and their mother had divorced. She died years before he did. And because she also had donated her body to a medical school, the family had no gravesite, no touchstone, no link tying everyone together except fading memories.
Like other service members whose stories have been forgotten, whose honors have been overlooked, he deserved recognition.
She vowed she wouldn’t give up until she had exhausted every possibility. But she had no idea it would take nearly a year from start to finish.
This dates back a few years…nearly an antique. I was old enough to know better and young enough not to care about too much serious.
Robin Williams does this short take as the American Flag. A little humor is always good for the soul, especially clean humor. Not enough of that any more.
My hat is off to Robin Williams while he makes us laugh. While he portrays the American Flag he fills us with a deeper message of patriotism and honor.
With Veterans Day approaching, Dad wanted to share a site with you that, like American Valor, promotes respect and thanks for our veterans.
VetFriends.com — the largest Web site for reuniting veterans — has created an online Veterans Day Forum reaching out to U.S. veterans and anyone else interested in contributing their thoughts and insights in regards to our U.S. military personnel and Veterans Day. Personal stories, sentiments and words of thanks can be found online in a Veterans Day collection throughout October and November
at www.vetfriends.com/veteransday. VetFriends.com invites members of the media to visit the forum and utilize the quotes in their Veterans Day news stories.
In addition to the forum, VetFriends.com has posted a U.S. veteran and military tribute video thanking and honoring the many brave men and women who have and are currently serving the nation. The theme of the video: What do U.S. veterans and military mean to VetFriends.com, and moreover to America.
What does Veterans Day mean to you? They welcome you to add your thoughts and comments about Veterans Day, about people who serve or have served in the U.S. Military. Many of these additions will be shared on VetFriends.com and with television stations and newspapers.
Other features available on www.VetFriends.com include: search over 893,000 members to make contact with old friends; information on how to obtain military records and medals; message boards; upload past and present photos; military jokes; search and post reunions; military products and discounts; along with a variety of other features and services.
Founded in 2000 by Marine Corps veteran of Desert Storm, Dale F. Sutcliffe, thousands of people have been reconnected through VetFriends.com, spanning from World War II through to Operation Desert Storm and the present.
For further information and/or interview opportunities please contact Maynard Anderson at (843) 856-2867 or via e-mail at: publicrelations @ vetfriends.com.
Christopher Waiters Decorated with Distinguished Service Cross
This article was written by BRAD WONG. Brad is an author writing for the Seattle PI.
When Army Spec. Christopher Waiters popped out of his Stryker vehicle last year in an Iraqi marketplace, he started shooting at insurgents as gunfire crackled around him.With snipers on buildings and bullets whistling by him, the Lacey resident grabbed his medical gear and ran about 100 meters toward a burning armored personnel carrier.
A bomb — part of an al-Qaida ambush — had blown a hole in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, engulfing it in flames. Plumes of smoke filled that intersection in Baqubah. Waiters, a medic, managed to pull two soldiers out of the vehicle — and helped recover the remains of a dead comrade inside.
For his bravery April 5, 2007, the former member of Fort Lewis’ Third Stryker Brigade Combat Team received the Distinguished Service Cross on Thursday during a ceremony at the military base south of Tacoma.
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army’s vice chief of staff, thanked the 26-year-old for his courage and service. “Never forget that you are the strength of the nation,” Chiarelli told Waiters, now a staff sergeant, and soldiers in the audience.
Before pinning the Army’s second highest award for heroism on Waiters’ chest, Chiarelli looked at him, raised his arm and saluted. Later, Waiters’ father hugged him. And fellow soldiers erupted in applause.
Waiters had just finished his shift around 9 a.m. on that April day when he heard an explosion and received a radio dispatch.
“Voodoo, let’s go,” Capt. Tim Price said, using Waiters’ military call sign. Price was the commander on scene during the battle.
Waiters raced in his Stryker vehicle to the intersection. Against the wishes of the vehicle’s commander, he hopped out. He knew that U.S. soldiers were hurt and that they needed him.
“They wear the American flag just like me,” Waiters said Thursday in recounting the battle.
Al-Qaida operatives had set an ambush for U.S. forces. Knowing that Americans would respond to a burning vehicle, gunmen waited for American soldiers to arrive.
On one nearby building, Waiters spotted two men spraying bullets from machine guns. From another building, three others fired weapons at the Americans and people in the street.
Civilians in the marketplace scattered. The rattle of a heavy machine gun manned by a fellow U.S. soldier also filled the air. U.S. sniper teams made their way to the fight.
Waiters just focused on reaching the burning Bradley. As he ran through the gunfire, common sense began to hit him.
“I’m already in hell. I might as well keep going,” he said he thought as he ran to the burning wreckage.
“When you’re scared, you can do a lot of amazing things. I figured, ‘Keep moving’ and I won’t get hit.”
When he reached the Bradley, he jumped on top of it. But the flames were too high and the heat was so intense that he jumped off. He raced to the back door.
He squeezed through the door and began feeling his way around. He spotted a soldier’s legs and boots and went to grab them.
But the smoke filled the compartment, forcing Waiters to leave for a moment to catch his breath.
At one point, about 15 rounds of 25 mm ammunition from the Bradley started exploding.
In the end, he ran a few times to the Bradley and pulled out two soldiers and called for helicopters to evacuate them. To this day, he still does not know their names.
He also brought a body bag for his dead comrade in the Bradley, Sgt. Jason A. Shaffer, 28, from Pennsylvania.
Waiters’ boots melted, and flames singed his uniform. But he wasn’t hurt.
Sgt. Jeffrey Anello, another medic, arrived to help remove Shaffer’s body. “Any hesitation on his part could have cost those two other soldiers their lives,” Anello said.
Waiters’ Distinguished Service Cross is the 17th given since the 9/11 attacks, Army officials said.
Read the rest of Brad Wong’s story at the Seattle PI
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