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                                       MY NAME IS OLD GLORY

                                                             usflag.gif (10628 bytes)

I am the flag of the United States of America.
I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.
I stand watch in America's halls of justice.
I fly majestically over institutions of learning.
I stand guard with power in the world.
Look up and see me.


I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.
I stand for freedom.
I am confident.
I am arrogant.
I am proud.

When I am flown with my fellow banners,

my head is a little higher, my colors a little truer.

I bow to no one!
I am recognized all over the world.
I am worshipped I am saluted.
I am loved I am revered.
I am respected and I am feared.

I have fought in every battle of every war
for more then 200 years.
I was flown atValley Forge, Gettysburg,
Shiloh and Appomattox.

I was there at San Juan Hill,
the trenches of France,
in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome
and the beaches of Normandy, Guam.
Okinawa, Korea and KheSan, Saigon, Vietnam know me,
I was there.


I led my troops,
I was dirty, battle-tested and tired,
but my soldiers cheered me
And I was proud.

 

America has been attacked by cowardly fanatics

And many lives have been lost

But they cannot win, for I am not their ruler

I am the symbol of freedom borne from their heart

 

I have been burned, torn and trampled
on the streets of countries I have helped set free.
It does not hurt, for I am invincible.


I have been soiled upon, burned, torn
and trampled on the streets of my country.
And when it's by those whom I've served in battle it hurts.
But I shall overcome for I am strong.


I have slipped the bonds of Earth
and stood watch over the uncharted frontiers of space
from my vantage point on the moon.
I have borne silent witness
to all of America's finest hours.
But my finest hours are yet to come.



When I am torn into strips and used as bandages
for my wounded comrades on the battlefield,
When I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier,
Or when I lie in the trembling arms
of a grieving parent
at the grave of their fallen son or daughter,
I am proud.


MY NAME IS OLD GLORY
LONG MAY I WAVE.

Author Unknown

                                Thank You, Brother and Noble Ben Steen of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

LADY LIBERTY

Lovely Lady of Liberty, here's to you.

To the one who will always be faithful and true.

Though you are only a statue, to us you live,

And to the things that you stand for our all we will give.

Goddess of right, Goddess of might, facing the sea.

Send out the word, let it be heard, this land is free.

We dedicate our way of life to democracy,

That your light may shine on through eternity.

Lovely Lady of Liberty, here's to you.

A song dedicated to two World War ll soldiers, a salute to her on her 122nd Birthday.

(From the Ladies Auxiliary VFW Magazine, January 2009)

 

 

FROM SEABEE VETERAN JERRY SWIFT ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12th, 2008

CLICK ON TO OPEN UP & TURN YOUR SPEAKERS ON.

ARROW DOWN OLD BLUE JACKET .COM

MANY MANY STORIES INCLUDING AUDIE MURPHY.

REMEMBER TO HELL AND BACK?

 

THIS IS FROM CLAYTON HOLLISTER, COMMANDER,

OMAHA AMERICAN LEGION RIDERS

Why we are in Iraq !!!

Read it all.... think about it....... then understand why we are in Iraq!

The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at
war. My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband
and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to
serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband
would give him a good explanation. My husband thought for a few
minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room
window.

He said 'Son, stand there and tell me what you see?'

'I see trees and cars and our neighbor's houses,' he replied.

'OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the
United States of America and you are President Bush.'

Our son giggled and said 'OK.'

'Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every
house and yard on this block is a different country' my husband said.

'OK Dad, I'm pretending.'

'Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend
you see Saddam come out of his house with his wife, he has her by the
hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her
in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her
to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are
screaming and crying, they are watching this but do nothing because
they are kids and they are afraid of their father. You see all of
this, son ... what do you do?'

'Dad?'

'What do you do son?'

'I'd call the police, Dad.'

'OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations. They take your
call. They listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help.
What do you do then son?'

'Dad ......... but the police are supposed to help!' My son starts to
whine.

'They don't want to, son, because they say that it is not their place
or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it,' my
husband says.

'But Dad ... he killed her!!' my son exclaims.

'I know he did ... but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I
want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who
you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his
children'

'Daddy ... he kills them?'

'Yes, son, he does. What do you do?'

'Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next
door neighbor to help me stop him,' our son says.

'Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to
get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop
him,' my husband says.

'But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by myself!!'

'WHAT DO YOU DO SON?' Our son starts to cry.

'OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask
for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands
taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next, son?'

'What Daddy?'

'He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down
her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house
on fire and then ..... he kills her. He turns around and sees you
standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?'

'Daddy...'

'WHAT DO YOU DO?' Our son is crying and he looks down and he
whispers, 'I'd close the blinds, Daddy.'

My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him
'Why?'

'Because, Daddy ..... the police are supposed to help people who need
them ... and they won't help ... You always say that neighbors are
supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either . they won't
help me stop him ... I'm afraid ... I can't do it by myself, Daddy
... I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these
terrible things and, and, do nothing ... so, I'm just going to close
the blinds ... so I can't see what he's doing ... and I'm going to
pretend that it is not happening.'

I start to cry. My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in
the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my
husband's questions and he says .

'Son'

'Yes, Daddy.'

'Open the blinds because that man ... He's at your front door
...'WHAT DO YOU DO?'

My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls
up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without
hesitation he says: ' I DEFEND MY FAMILY, DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM
HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA
FIGHT HIM!!!!!'

I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his
chest and hugs him tight, and says . ' It's too late to fight him,
he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son ... you
should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife, and his children
and the old lady across the way. You have to do what's right, even if
you have to do it alone, before its too late,' my husband whispers.

THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When
good men stand by and let evil happen, son, THAT is the greatest
atrocity in the world. 'YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT
EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!' BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE
PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!! SUPPORT THEM!!! SUPPORT AMERICA SO THAT IN THE
FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS...'

This should be printed in every newspaper and posted in every school
in America. Of course that won't happen so we'll use the Internet. If
your blinds are closed, do nothing with this email. If they are open
I do not need to tell you what to do.

GOD BLESS!!!!!!!!!
 

 

This from my brother, Marv Kraus on february 2nd 2008

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

She is to be commissioned on March 1st, 2008

USS New York

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

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

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

The ship's motto? 'Never Forget'


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

This from my brother, Marv Kraus -

THE UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL

Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it. The one dollar bill
you're looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This


so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it.  It is actually material..  We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal.



On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget.

In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut.

Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury.

That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know.

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles.

Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States .
 
 

The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal.

It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get  it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid.
 


Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization.   

The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not  even close to being finished.  Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity.   

It was Franklin 's belief that one  man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.

'IN GOD WE TRUST' is on this currency.




The Latin above the pyramid,  ANNUIT COEPTIS, means,    
'God has favored our undertaking.'

The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, 'a new order has begun.'    

At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776.
(MDCCLXXVI)

If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully,



you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery  in the United States    

It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments.    

Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons:

First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it.   

Secondly, he wears no material crown.  We had just broken from the King of England.

Also, notice the shield is unsupported.  This country can now stand on its own.   

At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor.

We were coming together as one nation.   

In the Eagle's beak you will read, ' E PLURIBUS UNUM', meaning,  'one nation from many people'.

Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen  original  colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away.  Again, we were  coming together as one.
 
Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons.  He holds an olive branch and arrows.

This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace.

The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number.   This is almost a  worldwide belief.

You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor.

But think about this:
 
13 original colonies,

13  signers of the Declaration of Independence,

13 stripes on our flag,

13 steps on the Pyramid,

13 letters in the Latin above,

13 letters in 'E Pluribus Unum',

13 stars above the Eagle,

13 bars on that shield,

13 leaves on the olive branch,

13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows.   

And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.

I always ask people, 'Why don't you know this?'  Your children don't know this, and their history teachers don't know this.   

Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade..   

Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care.

Too many veterans never came home at all.

Share this page with everyone, so they can learn what is on the back of the UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL, and what it stands for... Otherwise, they will probably never know...
 

 

SEMPER FI

Leading the fight is Gunnery Sgt. Michael Burghard t, known as "Iron Mike" or just
"Gunny". He is on his third tour in Iraq ... He had become a legend in the bomb
disposal world after winning the Bronze Star for disabling 64 IEDs and destroying
1,548 pieces of ordnance during his second tour. Then, on September 19, he got
blown up. He had arrived at a chaotic scene after a bomb had killed four US soldiers.

He chose not to wear the bulky bomb protection suit. "You can't react to any sniper
fire and you get tunnel-vision," he explains. So, protected by just a helmet and
standard-issue flak jacket, he began what bomb disposal officers term "the longest
walk", stepping gingerly into a 5ft deep and 8ft wide crater.

The earth shifted slightly and he saw a Senao base station with a wire leading from it.
He cut the wire and used his 7inch knife to probe the ground. "I found a piece of red
detonating cord between my legs," he says. "That's when I knew I was screwed"

Realizing he had been sucked into a trap, Sgt Burghardt, 35, yelled at everyone to
stay back. At that moment, an insurgent, probably watching through binoculars,
pressed a button on his mobile phone to detonate the secondary device below the
sergeant's feet. "A chill went up the back of my neck and then the bomb exploded,"
he recalls. "As I was in the air I remember thinking, 'I don't believe they got me.' I was
just ticked off they were able to do it. Then I was lying on the road, not able to feel
anything from the waist down."

His colleagues cut off his trousers to see how badly he was hurt. None could believe
his legs were still there. "My dad is a Vietnam vet who's paralyzed from the waist
down," says Sgt Burghardt. "I was lying there thinking I didn't want to be in a
wheelchair next to my dad and for him to see me like that. They started to cut away
my pants and I felt a real sharp pain and blood trickling down. Then I wiggled my toes
and I thought, 'Good, I'm in business.' "As a stretcher was brought over, adrenaline
and anger kicked in. "I decided to walk to the helicopter. I wasn't going to let my team-
mates see me being carried away on a stretcher." He stood and gave the insurgents
who had blown him up a one-fingered salute. "I flipped them one. It was like, 'OK, I
lost that round but I'll be back next week!"

Copies of a photograph depicting his defiance, taken by Jeff Bundy for the Omaha
World-H erald, adorn the walls of homes across America and that of Col John
Gronski, the brigade commander in Ramadi, who has hailed the image as an
exemplar of the warrior spirit. Sgt Burghardt's injuries - burns and wounds to his legs
and buttocks - kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a
ticket home. But, like his father - who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple
Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam - he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the
battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of
killing Americans.

Are you proud enough to send this on?

(There was a picture from the Omaha World Hearld showing Iron Mike giving the Insurgents the bird with his pants blown off.)

 

THIS FROM JIM TURNER ON DECEMBER 14TH, 2007


Wouldn't it be fitting if this went completely around the world!.....

This needs to make headline news...not some of the other junk that makes the news these days!!! L
ike the Rosie O'Donell war of words...celeb weddings...who's not wearing undies...etc.

If you agree, please pass this along.

It's a tough, but heartwarming story...with a picture of John Gebhardt in Iraq.



John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.

He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to do.

This, my friends, is worth sharing with the WORLD! Go for it!!
You'll never see things like this in the news. Please keep this going. Nothing will happen if you don't, but the American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that what we're doing over there is making a difference. Even if it is just one little girl at a time.

James Gates U. S. Navy




THIS FROM FRED WYANT ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2007

RULE RE:SALUTING THE FLAG !!!!
 
 
Subject:  Veterans and military in civilian clothes may now salute the
flag

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla..) today praised the
passage by unanimous consent of his bill (S.1877) clarifying U.S. law to
allow veterans and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag. Current
law (US Code Title 4, Chapter 1) states that veterans and servicemen not
in uniform should place their hand over their heart without clarifying
whether they can or should salute the flag.
 
"The salute is a form of honor and respect, representing pride in one's
military service,"Senator Inhofe said. "Veterans and service members
continue representing the military services even when not in uniform.
"Unfortunately, current U.S. law leaves confusion as to whether veterans
and service members out of uniform can or should salute the flag. My
legislation will clarify this regulation, allowing veterans and
servicemen alike to salute the flag, whether they are in uniform or not.
"I look forward to seeing those who have served saluting proudly at
baseball games, parades, and formal events. I believe this is an
appropriate way to honor and recognize the 25 million veterans in the
United States who have served in the military and remain as role models
to others citizens. Those who are currently serving or have served in
the military have earned this right, and their recognition will be an
inspiration to others."
 
This Bill was passed July 25, 2007. Let your veteran friends know
about the Passage of this Bill.
 
 

This from fellow ALR - PGR Rider Chuck Fattig

Please read, this story really will make you think of Duty, Honor, Country and the Freedoms that we have. The price that was paid by some, So all may live in Freedom and Peace.

Semper Fi

Chuck Fattig

 

I  just wanted to get the day over with and go down to Smokey's for a few 

cold ones. Sneaking a look at my watch, I saw the time, 1655. Five 

minutes to go before the cemetery gates are closed for the day. Full 

dress was hot in the August sun. Oklahoma summertime was as bad as ever 

-- the heat and humidity at the same level -- both too high. 

I saw the car pull into the drive, '69 or '70 model Cadillac Deville, 

looked factory-new. It pulled into the parking lot at a snail's pace. 

An old woman got out so slow I thought she was paralyzed. She had a cane 

and a sheaf of flowers, about four or five bunches as best I could tell. 

I couldn't help myself. The thought came unwanted, and left a slightly 

bitter taste: "She's going to spend an hour, and for this old soldier my 

hip hurts like hell and I'm ready to get out of here right now!" 

 

But for this day my duty was to assist anyone coming in. Kevin would 

lock the "In" gate and if I could hurry the old biddy along, we might 

make the last half of happy hour at Smokey's. 

 

I broke Post Attention My hip made gritty noises when I took the first 

step and the pain went up a notch. I must have made a real military 

sight; middle-aged man with a small pot-gut and half a limp, in Marine 

Full Dress Uniform, which had lost its razor crease about 30 minutes 

after I began the watch at the cemetery. 

 

 

I stopped in front of her, halfway up the walk. She looked up at me with 

an old woman's squint "Ma'am, may I assist you in any way?" 

She took long enough to answer. "Yes, son. Can you carry these flowers? 

I seem to be moving a tad slow these days." 

"My pleasure Ma'am." Well, it wasn't too much of a lie. 

She looked again. "Marine, where were you stationed?" 

"Vietnam, Ma'am. Ground-pounder. '69 to '71." 

She looked at me closer. "Wounded in action, I see. Well done, Marine. 

I'll be as quick as I can" 

 

I lied a little bigger "No hurry, Ma'am." 

She smiled, and winked at me. "Son, I'm 85-years old and I can tell a 

lie from a long way off. Let's get this done. Might be the last time I 

can do this. My name's Joanne Wieserman, and I've a few Marines I'd like 

to see one more time." 

"Yes, Ma'am. At your service." 

 

She headed for the World War I section, stopping at a stone. She picked 

one of the bunches out of my arm and laid it on top of the stone. She 

murmured something I couldn't quite make out. The name on the marble was 

Donald S. Davidson, USMC, France 1918. 

She turned away and made a straight line for the World War II section, 

stopping at one stone. I saw a tear slowly tracking its way down her 

cheek. She put a bunch on a stone; the name was Stephen X. Davidson, 

USMC, 1943. She went up the row a ways and laid another bunch on a 

stone, Stanley J. Wieserman USMC , 1944. 

 

She paused for a second, "Two more, son, and we'll be done." I almost 

didn't say anything, but, "Yes, Ma'am. Take your time." She looked 

confused. "Where's the Vietnam section, son? I seem to have lost my 

way." I pointed with my chin. "That way, Ma'am." "Oh!" she chuckled 

quietly. "Son, me and old age ain't too friendly." 

 

She headed down the walk I'd pointed at. She stopped at a couple of 

stones before she found the ones she wanted. She placed a bunch on Larry 

Wieserman USMC, 1968, and the last on Darrel Wieserman USMC, 1970. 

 

She stood there and murmured a few words I still couldn't make out. "OK, 

son, I'm finished. Get me back to my car and you can go home" "Yes, 

Ma'am. If I may ask, were those your kinfolk ?" 

 

She paused. "Yes, Donald Davidson was my father; Stephen was my uncle; 

Stanley was my husband; Larry and Darrel were our sons. All killed in 

action, all Marines." She stopped, whether she had finished, or couldn't 

finish, I don't know. She made her way to her car, slowly, and 

painfully. 

 

I waited for a polite distance to come between us and then double-timed 

it over to Kevin waiting by the car. "Get to the "Out"-gate quick. I 

have something I've got to do." 

 

Kevin started to say something but saw the look I gave him. He broke the 

rules to get us there down the service road. We beat her. She hadn't 

made it around the rotunda yet. 

 

"Kevin, stand to attention next to the gate post. Follow my lead." I 

humped it across the drive to the other post. 

When the Cadillac came puttering a round from the hedges and began the 

short straight traverse to the gate, I called in my best gunny's voice: 

"TehenHut! 

 Present Haaaarms!" 

 

I have to hand it to Kevin, he never blinked an eye; full dress 

attention and a salute that would make his DI proud. She drove through 

that gate with two old worn-out soldiers giving her a send off she 

deserved, for service rendered to her country, and for knowing Duty, 

Honor and Sacrifice. 

 

I am not sure, but I think I saw a salute returned from that Cadillac. 

Instead of "The End"....just think of "Taps." 

 

This from Sir Knight Ron Grass -


>FASCINATING!
You Might Not Ever Guess

Captain Kangaroo passed away on
January 23, 2004 as age 76 , which is odd, because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27 ) His death reminded me of the following story.

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington National
Cemetery . His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here's  a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer:

I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn't know the extent of his Corps experiences.
 
In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions,

Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor

If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.

Dialog from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson": His guest was Lee Marvin Johnny said, "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima ..and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."

 
"Yeah, yeah... I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting' shot hauling you down. But Johnny, at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his own life.

That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, where'd they get you Lee?' Well Bob.. if you make! it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!"

Johnny, I'm not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew.

The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."
 
On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps.  He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat.
 
After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.

America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to -day lives, doing what they do best They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.

Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst.

Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever happened.

Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom. With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers

 

FROM NOBLE CAPTAIN AL PETERSEN

Subject: Real Judge

Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and
tried to light it?

   Did you know his trial is over?
   Did you know he was sentenced?
 
Did you see/hear any of the judge's comments on TV or Radio?
Didn't think so.
Everyone should hear what the judge had to say.

   _ Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court._


Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he had anything to
say.  His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for the
record, Reid also admitted his "allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam,
and to the religion of Allah," defiantly stating, "I think I will not
apologize for my actions," and told the court "I am at war with your
country."

Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted below:

January 30, 2003, United States vs. Reid.

Judge Young:   "Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the
Court imposes upon you.

On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the
custody of the United States Attorney General.  On counts 2, 3, 4 and 7,
the Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the
sentence on each count to run consecutively.  (That's 80 years.)

On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years again, to
be served consecutively to the 80 years just imposed.  The Court imposes
upon you for each of the eight counts a fine of $250,000 that's an
aggregate fine of $2 million.  The Court accepts the government's
recommendation with respect to restitution and orders restitution in the
amount of $298.17 to Andre Bousquet and $5,784 to American Airlines.

The Court imposes upon you an $800 special assessment. The Court imposes
upon you five years supervised release simply because the law requires
it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need go no further.

This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes.  It is a fair
and just sentence.  It is a righteous sentence.

Now, let me explain this to you.  We are not afraid of you or any of
your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid.  We are Americans.  We have
been through the fire before.  There is too much war talk here and I say
that to everyone with the utmost respect.  Here in this court, we deal
with individuals as individuals and care for individuals as individuals.
 As human beings, we reach out for justice.

You are not an enemy combatant.  You are a terrorist.  You are not a
soldier in any war.  You are a terrorist.  To give you that reference,
to call you a soldier, gives you far too much stature. Whether the
officers of government do it or your attorney does it, or if you think
you are a soldier.  You are not----- you are a terrorist.  And we do not
negotiate with terrorists.  We do not meet with terrorists.  We do not
sign documents with terrorists.  We hunt them down one by one and bring
them to justice.

So war talk is way out of line in this court.  You are a big fellow. But
you are not that big.  You're no warrior.  I've known warriors. You are
a terrorist.  A species of criminal that is guilty of multiple attempted
murders.  In a very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when
you first were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered
where the press and the TV crews were, and he said: "You're no big deal."

You are no big deal.

What your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys
have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to
grapple with, is why you did something so horrific.  What was it that
led you here to this courtroom today?

I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to
search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led
you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing?  And, I
have an answer for you.  It may not satisfy you, but as I search this
entire record, it comes as close to understanding as I know.


    It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious.
    You hate our freedom.  Our individual freedom.  Our individual
    freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to
    believe or not believe as we individually choose.  Here, in this
    society, the very wind carries freedom.  It carries it everywhere
    from sea to shining sea.  It is because we prize individual freedom
    so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom.  So that
    everyone can see, truly see, that justice is administered fairly,
    individually, and discretely.  It is for freedom's sake that your
    lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf, have filed
    appeals, will go on in their representation of you before other judges.

    We Americans are all about freedom.  Because we all know that the
    way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties.
     Make no mistake though.  It is yet true that we will bare any
    burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms.  Look around this
    courtroom.  Mark it well.  The world is not going to long remember
    what you or I say here.  The day after tomorrow, it will be
    forgotten, but this, however, will long endure.

    Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America, the
    American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice,
    justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done.  The
    very President of the United States through his officers will have
    to come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific
    matters can be judged and juries of citizens will gather to sit and
    judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our
    sense of justice.

    See that flag, Mr. Reid?  That's the flag of the United States
    of America.  That flag will fly there long after this is all
    forgotten.  That flag stands for freedom.  And it always will.

    Mr. Custody Officer.  Stand him down.

    So, how much of this Judge's comments did we hear on our TV sets?
     We need more judges like Judge Young, but that's another subject.
     Pass this around.  Everyone should and needs to hear what this fine
    judge had to say.  Powerful words that strike home.  God bless America

THANK YOU, PETE

 

SEABEE INFORMATION

SEABEE BALL 2008

Welcome Home Celebration

July 18-19

Hilton Garden Inn Independence

19677 East Jackson Drive

Independence, Missouri 64057

Phone: 816-350-3000

                                                                                                                       Room Rates: $82 plus tax ASK for the SEABEE BALL BLOCK

Must have reservation made by May 4th to receive special rate.

For specials needs contact the Hotel

 Friday July 18th, 2008

Registration Desk opens at 1500

Hospitality Suite opens 1600-2300

                                                                                                                                                             Friday Night T-Shirt Dance

1900- 2300

American Legion Post 21

16702 East 40 Hwy. Independence, Mo 64055

Wear any Seabee T-Shirt Proudly

DJ with Dancing and Karaoke

Shuttle Service from Hotel to and from Post Available

Sponsored by:  KC Seabee Buzz Det 0215 Family Group and the American Legion

 

Saturday July 19th, 2008


 

Hospitality Room opens 0800

Registration opens at 1000

Golf at Drum Farm Golf Course Independence

Golf Shotgun Start @0800 $70 per person

Pictures by Swift Shots

Ball Room Opens at 1800

Program: Dinner, Dancing,& Door Prizes

Speaker: Assistant Secretary of Defense Thomas Hall

Attire: Military Members Dinner Dress Whites or Service Dress Whites

Guests: Appropriate Formal attire

Dinner: Buffet Style with Choice of :

12 oz. Top Sirloin Steak or Chicken Parmesan

Cost: E4;and Below $30/each; E5 to E6 $40/each

and E7 and above $50/each; Retirees at last paygrade

Raffle of Cash Prizes: $1000, $500, and $250

1 ticket $1 or 6 tickets for $5

Need not be present to win.

Drawing Night of Seabee Ball.


Attractions: Truman Presidential Library, Adventure Water Oasis Water Park, Historical Independence Square,          Vaile Mansion & Historic Home Tours, Independence Center & Other Shopping Experiences,AmeriStar Casino 

Cut out and send check and information toChecks Payable to: Seabee Ball  Meal Ticket Deadline7/7/08

Marie Benz   16415  East 35th Street S.   Independence, MO 64055   Phone Number:  816-373-4392                           

 

NAME/RANK________________________________________________________________________

 

ADDRESS  __________________________________________________________________________

 

PHONE#  ___________________________________________________________________________

 

E-MAIL ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________

 

# OF TICKETS__________________                     AMOUNT ENCLOSED_________________________

 

FROM SEABEE VETERAN JERRY SWIFT ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2008

       Pass it on, make it a LARGE COOKBOOK 
                              Jerry Swift CUCM Retired      
                     Hungry Bee Cookbook
 

Dear Friends & Family of the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Fifteen,
 
The NMCB15 KC Seabee Buzz Family Group is constructing a Hungry Bee Cookbook.  We need your
building materials to make this successful.  So put on your hard hats and send us your favorite
recipes.  We will also have a section for helpful tips and advise.  Please open the attachment and
send your recipes to Susan Freemyer or email them to me at
kfree87102004@hotmail.com.  Photo
copies of recipes are encouraged because they are easier to scan into format for the book.  Deadline
for entries is February 23rd, so get your Buzz on and get those into us as soon as possible.
 
Who can send in a recipe?  Anyone who knows someone serving in the US Military or Retired Military.
That should include just about everyone.  
 
Please make sure you send the recipe, tip or advise along with Name, Rank and Relationship of Military
Member active or retired.  e.g.  Wife of BU2 Kenneth D. Freemyer, US Navy, NMCB15
 
Money collected from the sale of this book will be used to purchase food, pay for projects & provide gifts 
for upcoming events for the Friends & Family of the NMCB15. 
 
Susan M. Freemyer
President
KC Seabee Buzz Family Group
1207 Ridge Circle Apt D.
Tonganoxie, KS 66086
913-369-8981  home
913-908-3444 cell
 
 

 

 

FROM SEABEE VETERAN JERRY SWIFT ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 19th, 2008

Cliff Barnhart
 
I wasn't sure if I have e-mailed about Willis.  We found out in early Dec. that he has multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood.  He is out of the hospital and is doing chemo treatments as an outpatient.  He had some rough weeks, but seems to tolerate the treatments pretty well.  The doctors think the treatments are working but won't know for sure until around the end of Feb.  His cancer is treatable but not curable.  He wanted you to let some of his Seabee buddies know.
 
Thanks,
Joan Kennedy

 

 

FROM SEABEE VETERAN JERRY SWIFT ON JANUARY 3RD, 2008

SEABEE NEWS

 
NNS080101-03. Seabee Change of Camp on Guam Marks Strategic Realignment

By Kyra Hawn, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas Public
Affairs

CAMP COVINGTON, Guam (NNS) -- In order to provide more robust support to
DOD mission-critical demands in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan, 86
Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1, turned over
their deployment reins on Dec. 21 to NMCB 5, after only three months on
station in Guam.

The quick turnaround marks a significant shift in alignment of the
deployed Naval Construction Force (NCF).

Historically, Seabee units deployed to Guam retained a main body
component of more than 300 members who served in exercises, operations
and infrastructure support in the Pacific area of responsibility.
Missions were complimented by an additional 500-plus member Seabee
battalion deployed to Okinawa, Japan and surrounding DOD locations.

However, with current operational emphasis rooted in the global war on
terrorism, Seabee deployment strategy is evolving to meet the changing
demand signals for expeditionary construction.

This realignment of NCF assets frees additional personnel and provides
for command element presence forward in support of Marine Expeditionary
Force missions in Iraq.

From the Iraq main body site, Seabees are dispersed to a variety of
geographically distinct detachment locations, employing task-tailored
personnel and equipment teams to provide construction support as
identified by Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine commanders.

The 86 Gulfport, Miss., based Seabees of the NMCB 1 Guam Detachment who
are departing the island will join the remaining 400-plus members of
their unit currently deployed to an array of detachment locations in SWA
and Afghanistan.

During the Dec. 21 change of camp ceremony held on Guam, Lt. Cmdr.
Michael Mihaly, officer in charge of the NMCB 1 Guam detachment,
remarked on the importance of the unit's move to Iraq to supplement
existing Seabee assets in theater.

"Being on Guam was a great experience for us, and we will miss the
people and their warm hospitality. Going to the desert to join the team
that is already forward will give our young Seabees the exposure that
they need to develop their skills and witness expeditionary leadership
and missions in action," said Mihaly.

In addition to running convoy operations and expeditionary construction,
Seabees are also serving integral roles as trainers, teachers and
mentors to the Iraqi military construction force, as well as journeymen
aiding in Iraq's infrastructure development.

Lt. Jim Evans, officer in charge of the incoming NMCB 5 Guam detachment
from Port Hueneme, Calif., expressed his enthusiasm for the unit's
upcoming work.

"This is where we hone our skills and construction competencies in a
non-hostile environment. Most of the Seabees before you have made
multiple deployments in direct support of the global war on terrorism.
This is their chance to train, mentor and pay close attention to quality
control without the constraints that accompany working outside the
wire," said Evans.

The upcoming deployment to theater evoked a little anxiety mixed with
enthusiasm for one NMCB 1 member.

"Our detachment of 86 people on Guam was tight - we were a great team
and a well-oiled machine; everyone really supported each other," said
Gunners Mate 2nd Class Mandi Hung. "My deployments with Navy ships never
took me to the 'sandbox,' and I'm excited for the opportunity to run an
armory in a place where weapons safety and security is important. And
while I'm a little nervous, I feel like I need to see things for myself
and find a positive way to contribute."

NMCB 1 will remain on station in Iraq and Afghanistan through the spring
of 2008. NMCB 5 Guam detachment will complete a six-month deployment at
Camp Covington.

For more news from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit
www.news.navy.mil/local/navfachq/.
 

 

FROM SEABEE VETERAN JERRY SWIFT ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25TH, 2007

Merry Christmas,
 
Just read in the paper that Kelly Mumm of MCB Fifteen in Iraq was one on the military personnel that the
 
President called with Christmas greetings. 
 
      Poffenbarger 

 

FROM SEABEE VETERAN JERRY SWIFT ON THURSDAY OCTOBER  18TH, 2007

 

Save The Date !!! Save The Date!!!

The NMCB-15 Navy Seabee Ball July 18  & 19, 2008


Theme: Welcome Home Celebration 2008

Host City: Kansas City

Site Hotel:
Hilton Garden Inn Independence
19677 E Jackson Drive, Independence, Missouri, USA 64057
Tel: +1-816-816-350-3000 Fax: +1-816-816-350-3535

More Rooms Reserved in a Block at:
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
INDEPENDENCE-KANSAS CITY
19901 E VALLEY VIEW PKWY
INDEPENDENCE, MO 64057 UNITED STATES
Hotel Front Desk: 1-816-7958889 | Hotel Fax: 1-816-7951734

When calling hotels request the block for the US Navy Seabee Reunion
to get the best rate!!!

More Details and Website to follow.

Hope to see you there, Navy Seabee Ball Committee 2008
 
 
I posted this on the Yahoo Site  this morning. So the word is out to Mark Your 2008 Calendars.
 
Lori will you please  Post this as it's own separate page on the Battalion Site Thank You. Libby 

 

SEABEE FAMILIES, WE CAN DO, TOO!

Out of all the gifts you can give our US Soldiers, PRAYER is the very best to give.
 

 

FROM SEABEE VETERAN JERRY SWIFT ON THURSDAY OCTOBER  5TH, 2007

                                   Deployed Address for NMCB 15 Det 1
Personnell.
>
>
> > Dan Seaman
> > NMCB-15 DET 1
> > FPO AA 34099-0701
> >
> > Don't use my rate/rank.  They don't want us to use our rates/ranks on
our
> snail mail.
     Dan Seaman

 

FROM SEABEE VETERAN JERRY SWIFT ON WEDNESDAY  JULY 11TH, 2007

 

We lost  a Member
 
EO1 Donald Cerny 78, passed away on Monday 07/09/07
Don drilled in Lincoln 0415 from 1970s to 1989
Services will be held at the Calvary Baptist Church,
Wahoo, NE  on Thursday 12 July @ 1100 HRS. Noble Don was also a
Mason Shriner of Sesostris Shrine in Lincoln. He was a member
of the Flying Fez. Don was a very fine Seabee and a Fine Noble. He will
be missed by his many friends.

 

Jerry Swift and Roger Miner

DON CERNY OBITUARY

EO1 Donald Cerny 78, was born September 9th, 1928 in Wahoo to Otto and Helen Cerny. He went to Grade and High School in Weston and graduated in 1947. After graduation, Don applied to Fisher Body and went to Auto Body School and completed his auto body schooling in 1948. Don served in the United States Navy from 1951 to 1953 aboard the USS Badoeng Strait. In 1953, Don married Mary Ann Cerny and they resided in Weston their entire life. In 1953, Don owned and operated Don Cerny Body and Paint until 2007. He manufactured his own wrecker from a Kenworth Tractor which he extended and carried a third rear axle. With this truck, Don could take on just about everything and he advertised that. He was very proud of that truck and his picture with the truck showed it. He operated out of a building on the corner of Main Street and Hwy. 77 in Wahoo. He also specialized in Auto Body repair and restoration.

Over the years, Don served in many fraternities and service clubs. He served in Masonry in many ways. He was Past Master of Wahoo Lodge #59 A.F. & A.M. A member of Lincoln Valley Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, and a member of Sesostris Temple Nobles of the Mystic Shrine where he served in the Flying Fez Unit as he held a pilots license. Don always enjoyed helping out at Shrine Circus Time where he helped sell tickets to the elephant rides. He was a member of the Weston American Legion #308 where he was a Past Commander. He was also a member of the VFW, Eagles Lodge, Lions Club, and Knights of Aksarben.

He was a member of the National Civil Defense Council, a Past President of the Nebraska Civil Defense Council a member and Director of the Saunders County Civil Defense for 33 years. He was a member of the Weston Fire Department for 41 years.  

In 1971, Don joined the Seabees and served in the RMCB - 1515 where he retired in 1989 as a Equipment Operator EO1. Don was also a member of the Seabee Veterans of America, Island X-1, serving in Nebraska.

Don was a member of Wahoo Community Church. He enjoyed Flying, Boating, Camping, Water skiing, Ballroom Dancing, and Gardening.

Don is survived by his daughter, Jenay, sisters Doris and Betty, and brothers Richard, Robert, and Gary Cerny. He was preceded in death by his mother, Helen M. Cerny, father Otto P. Cerny, and wife Mary Ann Cerny.

Services were held at 11:00 a.m Thursday, July 12th, 2007,at Calvary Baptist Church in Wahoo, Nebraska,  Pastor Don White officiating. Military graveside services were performed by American Legion Post #308 of Weston and the U. S. Navy Honor Guard. Interment at St. John Cemetery, Weston, Nebraska.  

r.w.m.

 

 

Seabee Veterans:

Remember our Reunion at Aurora Vets Club on Saturday, July 14th, 2007 commencing at 0900 hrs.

 

This from Stephen Spann on June 7th, 2007

I just got off the phone with Vangie Marston.  She said her husband, UTCM Harold Marston, is not doing well and is entering the Hospice.  For those of you who remember him, please say prayers for the family especially Vangie during this trying time.  I will keep you all posted as I learn more.
 
Stephen A. Spann
CAPT, CEC USNR(ret)
303-781-2430
Englewood Colorado

This from Jerry Swift on June 6th, 2007

UT1 Dale Berney Passed away at 1745 on Wednesday 06 June 2007.
         He would have been 89 on the 9th of June.
                Swifty

Further from Jerry Swift

UT1 Dale Berney Passed away at 1745 on Wednesday 06 June 2007.
         He would have been 69 on the 9th of June.
         He retired from RNMCB 15 lived in Omaha, drilled in Omaha,
          was a Life Member of NERA
         Worked at Boystown in Maintance for years was retired.
         Was a Great SEABEE,
                Swifty
Services for UT1 Dale Berney will be at Westlawn Cemetery Mortury at about 59th Center St in Omaha, NE on Tuesday the 12th. Dale will be cremated and the services will be at 3:00 PM.
         Swifty
   

This from Seabee Jim Milam

The 2008 Sea Bee Ball will be in Kansas City next year, possibly mid to late June.  We will be forming a committee soon.  With the battalion leaving for Iraq it will be up to a very small Det 025 and a lot of retirees to pull it off.   

My new contact information as of June 1, 2007:

Jim Milam, Project Manager

Integral Construction Services Inc.

303 SW Market

Lee’s Summit, MO 64063

P: 816-246-5655

F: 816-246-8177

Email: milamicslsmo@sbcglobal.net

 

A Sailor's Christmas


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

They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,
In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.
I had come down the stack with presents to give,
And to see inside just who might perhaps live.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HONOR, COURAGE AND COMMITMENT



-----------------------------
Happy Holidays from
-
VetFriends.com -
-- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard --

 

Remember it Well!

This from Wade Kendle on October, 19th 2006

 

To Kill an American


You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.


So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)


"An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.


An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navajo, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.


An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim.
In fact, there are more Muslims in America than inAfghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.


An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.


An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God-given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.


An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.


When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!


As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best of everything...the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services. But they also welcome the least.


The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America.


Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001, earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world. But, in doing so, you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.


Please keep this going!
Pass this around the World
Then pass it around again.

It says it all, for all of us ..!

This from a Sesostris Harley Shrine Mason Eldon:

WISH I COULD SEND THIS TO EVERY AMERICAN !!!!!!!
>
>One of my sons serves in the military. He is still stateside, here in
>California.
>
>He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming  people were to
>him, and his troops, everywhere he goes, telling me how people shake their
>hands, and thank them for being willing to serve, and fight, for not only our
>own freedoms but so that others may have them also.
>
>But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at
>yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several
>people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a  burkha.
>
>He said when she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the U.S.  flag
>lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched
>the pin, and said proudly," Yes, I always wear it and probably always will."
>
>The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop
>bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi.
>
>A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around my
>son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentle voice
>to the Iraqi woman:
>
>"Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought
>and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out
>cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen. It is my belief that had you been this
>outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't need to be there today. But, hey,
>if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll  gladly
>buy you a ticket  and pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out
>the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here in MY country to avoid."
>
>Everyone within hearing distance cheered!
>
>IF YOU AGREE____ Pass this on to all your proud American friends.
>
>I just did.
 

The Washington Monument

One detail that is not mentioned, in DC, is that there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument.

With all the uproar about removing the ten commandments, etc... This is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of this historical information.

On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, are displayed two words: Laus Deo. No one can see these words. In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn't care less.

Once you know Laus Deo's history, you will want to share this with every one you know. But these words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched top the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America.

Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, un-noticed words. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world.

So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply, they say "Praise be to God!"

Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was President of the United States, it was not until 1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public. It took twenty five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus Deo Praise be to God!"

From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors may take in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with its division into four major segments. From that vantage point, one can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l'Enfant ...a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape, with the White House to the north. The Jefferson Memorial is to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.

A cross you ask? Why a cross? What about separation of church and state? Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not, is not, in the Constitution. So, read on. How interesting and, no doubt, intended to carry a profound meaning for those who bother to notice.

Praise be to God! Within the monument itself are 898 steps and 50 landings. As one climbs the steps and pauses at the landings the memorial stones share a message On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore; on the 20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians; on the 24th a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6. Praise be to God!

When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848 deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society. Praise be to God! Such was the discipline, the moral direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy ."One Nation, Under God."

I am awed by Washington's prayer for America. Have you never read it? Well, now is your unique opportunity, so read on!

"Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Laus Deo!

When one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places all over our nation's capitol, he or she will easily find the signature of God, as it is unmistakably inscribed everywhere you look. You may forget the width and height of "Laus Deo", its location, or the architects but no one who reads this will be able to forget its meaning, or these words: "Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127: 1)

It is hoped you will send this to every child you know; to every sister, brother, father, mother or friend. They will not find offense, because you have given them a lesson in history that they probably never learned in school. With that, be not ashamed, or afraid, but have pity on those who will never see this because someone failed to send it on.

(Thank You, Mike Berger, for sharing this.)

PATRIOT DAY OBSERVANCE

VETERANS MEMORIAL GARDEN

Antelope Park

Lincoln, Nebraska

Sunday, September 10th, 2006, 7:00 P.M.

 

This from Our Seabee Veterans of Nebraska Secretary, Jim Miller on Wednesday August 2nd, 2006

Our grandson Bobby Miller, (see attachment picture) is headed for Iraq, (Baghdad) the end of August.  He is a 21 year old Marine.  Please pray for him.  We love him very much.

Jim & Jan Miller


 

OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN

Bless our service men Lord

The average age of the military man is

19 years. He is a short haired, tight-

muscled kid who, under normal

circumstances is considered by society

as half man, half boy. Not yet dry

behind the ears, not old enough to

buy a beer, but old enough to die

for his country.

He never really cared much for work

and he would rather wax his own car

than wash his father's; but he has

never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate;

he was probably an average

student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.

He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm howitzer.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now

than when he was at home because

he is working or fighting from

before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus

letter writing is a pain for him, but

he can field strip a rifle in 30

seconds and reassemble it in less

time, in the dark!

He can recite to you the nomenclature

of a machine gun or

grenade launcher

and use either one effectively

if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines and

can apply first aid like a professional.

He can march until he is told to stop

or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and

without hesitation, but he is not

without spirit or individual dignity.

He is self-sufficient.

He has two sets of fatigues:

he washes one and wears the other.

He keeps his canteens full

and his feet dry.

He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth,

but never to clean his rifle.

He can cook his own meals,

mend his own clothes,

and fix his own hurts.

If you're thirsty,

he'll share his water with you;

if you are hungry, his food.

He'll even split his ammunition with

you in the midst of battle

when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands

like weapons

and weapons like they were

his hands.

He can save your life - or take it,

because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work

of a civilian,

draw half the pay

and still find ironic humor in it all.

He has seen more suffering

and death then he should have

in his short lifetime.

He has stood atop mountains

of dead bodies,

and helped to create them.

He has wept in public and in private,

for friends who have fallen in combat

and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body

while at rigid attention,

while tempering the burning desire to

'square-away' those around him

who haven't bothered to stand,

remove their hat,

or even stop talking.

In an odd twist, day in and day out,

far from home,

he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather,

and Great-grandfather,

he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy.

 

He is the American Fighting Man

that has kept this country free

for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return,

except our friendship and understanding.

Remember him, always,

for he has earned our respect

and admiration with his blood.

And now we even have women over there in danger,

doing their part in this tradition

of going to War

when our nation calls us to do so.

As you go to bed tonight,

remember this shot..

A short lull, a little shade

and a picture of loved ones in their helmets

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families

for the selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. Amen."

When you read this,

please stop for a moment

and say a prayer

for our ground troops

in Afghanistan, sailors on ships,

and airmen in the air,

and for those in Iraq.

There is nothing attached....

This can be very powerful.......

Of all the gifts you could give a

US Soldier, Sailor, Coastguardsman, Marine or Airman,

prayer is the very best one.

From Leonard Bibler of Alaska November 15th, 2006

Xerox is doing something cool!

 If you go to this web site, www.letssaythanks.com  you can pick out a thank

you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is

currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to

some member of the armed services.

 How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! This

is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether

you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we

are behind them...

(After you send a card, please come back to this site.)

Take Me Home with I Am A Soldier

O, O take me home

Home to the people

I left behind

Home to the love

I’ll know I’ll find

O take me home

(repeat)

Sung by the United States Military West Point Academy Glee Club

Lyrics and Music: Phil Coulter/Additional Lyrics–I Am a Soldier:

Doug Coppi/Arrangement: Donald Fraser

 

GO TO THE PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS PAGE AND HELP WELCOME HOME A FALLEN HERO OF THE IRAQ WAR.

From Bob Swanson of American Legion Riders

I hope the picture will go through for you of this Army soldier in Iraq with his "tiny plot of! grass" in front of his tent.
It's heartwarming!


 
Here is a soldier stationed in Iraq, stationed in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt (U.S. soil), fertilizer and some grass seed. When the men of the squadron have a mission they are going on, they take turns walking through the grass and the American soil to bring them good luck.

If you notice, he is even cutting the grass with a pair of a scissors.  Sometimes we are in such a hurry that we don't stop and think about the little things that we take for granted.
Upon receiving this, please say a prayer for our soldiers that give and give (and give up) so unselfishly for us.

This from Shriners 2000

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

        THE RED SKELTON PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The following words were spoken by our late Brother Red Skelton on his television program as he related the story of his teacher, Mr. Laswell, who felt his students had come to think of the Pledge of Allegiance as merely something to recite in class each day. 

Now, more than ever, listen to the meaning of these words.



"I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word?"

 

I -- me, an individual, a committee of one.
Pledge -- dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity.
Allegiance -- my love and  my devotion.                                
To the flag -- our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever  she waves, there's respect because your loyalty has given   her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody's job!
United -- that means that we have all come together.
States -- individual communities that have united into 48 great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to   a common purpose, and that's love for country.
And to the republic -- a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the   people to govern. And government is the people and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
For which it stands, one nation -- one nation, meaning "so blessed by God"
Indivisible -- incapable of being divided.  
With liberty -- which is freedom  -- the right of power to live one's own life without threats, fear or some sort of  retaliation.
And Justice -- the principle or quality of dealing  fairly with others.
For all -- which means, boys and girls, it's as much your  country as it is mine.


Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country

and two words have been added to the pledge of Allegiance...

UNDER GOD

Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said

that is a prayer

and that would be eliminated from schools too?


God Bless America!


                                     

                                    

FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS

THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

     Thirty-one words which affirm the values and freedom that the American flag represents are recited while facing the flag as a pledge of Americans'  loyalty to their country. The Pledge of Allegiance was written for the 400th anniversary of 1892, of the discovery of America. A national committee of educators and civic leaders planned a public school celebration of Columbus Day to center around the flag. Including a script for ceremonies that would culminate in raising of the flag was the pledge. So it was in the 1892 Columbus Day programs that school children across the country first recited the Pledge of Allegiance this way:

" I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Controversy continues over whether the author was the chairman of the committee, Francis Bellamy- who worked on a magazine for young people that published the pledge- or James Upham, who worked for the publishing firm that produced the magazine. The pledge was published anonymously in the magazine and was not copyrighted.

     According to some accounts of Bellamy as author, he decided to write a pledge of allegiance, rather than a salute, because it was a stronger expression of loyalty-- something particularly significant even 27 years after the civil war ended. "One Nation indivisible" referred to the outcome of the civil war, and "liberty and justice for all" expressed the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.

     The words "my flag" were replaced by "the flag of the United States" in 1923, because some foreign-born people might have in mind the flag of the country of their birth, instead of the U.S. Flag. A year later, "of America" was added after "United States". No form of the pledge received official recognition by Congress until June 22, 1942, when it was formally included in the U.S. Flag Code. The official name of the Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945. The last change in language came on Flag Day in 1954, when Congress passed a law which added the words "under God" after "One Nation".

     Originally, the pledge was said with the right hand in the so-called "Bellamy Salute", with the hand resting first, outward from the chest, then the arm extending outward from the body. Once Hitler came to power in Europe, some Americans were concerned that this position of the arm and hand resembled the salute rendered by the Nazi Military. In 1942, Congress established the current practice of rendering the pledge with the right hand placed flat over the heart.

     Section 7 of the Federal Flag Code states that when not in military uniform, men should remove any headdress with their right hand, and hold it at the left shoulder, thereby resting the hand over the heart. People in military uniform should remain silent, face the flag and render the military salute.

     The Flag Code specifies that any future changes to the pledge would have to be with the consent of the President.

     The Pledge of Allegiance now reads:

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION  UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.  

(This paper was first read in Liberty Lodge #300 by our Worshipful Master W.B. Wade Kendle).

                        The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels  of the Third United States Infantry Regiment "Old Guard" :

 

                                                           

1.   How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the   Unknowns and why?


21 steps.  It alludes to the 21 gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or dignitary honoree.

                                                                 

2.   How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return  walk and why?

       21 seconds, for the same reason as answer number 1 above.


                                                                                                                                     
3.   Why are his gloves wet?

       His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.


                                                             
4.   Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if not, why not?

       No, he carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face, and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.



5.   How often are the guards changed?

       Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.



6.   What are the physical requirements for service as a guard?

       For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall, and his waist size cannot exceed 30."

Other requirements of a Guard:

A guard  must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.   They cannot swear in public FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES, and cannot disgrace the uniform, or the tomb, in any way. After TWO YEARS, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.

The shoes worn by the guards are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Each guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready, and dresses in front of a full-length mirror preparing for guard duty.

The first six month of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are, and where they are interred.

Among the notables are:  President John F. Kennedy, President Taft, Joe E. Lewis (the boxer) and  Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy
(the most decorated soldier of WWII), of  Hollywood fame.

More Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknowns itself:

The marble for the Tomb of the Unknowns was furnished by the Vermont Marble Company of Danby, Vermont. The marble is the finest and whitest American marble, quarried from the Yule Marble Quarry located near Marble, Colorado, and is called "Yule Marble". The Marble for the Lincoln memorial and other famous buildings was also quarried there.



The Amphitheater at the tomb is inscribed:

"HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD"

Some people think that when the Cemetery is closed to the public in the evening that this show stops. First, to the men who are dedicated to this work, it is no show.  It is a "charge of honor." The formality and precision continues, uninterrupted, all night.  During the night time, the drill of relief and the measured step of the on duty sentry remain unchanged from the daylight hours.

On the ABC evening news, it was reported that, because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabel approaching Washington, DC, those assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They refused. "No way, Sir!", was their unanimous reply. Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment - it was the highest honor that can be afforded a military person.

To these special men, the continuity of this post is the key to the honor and respect shown to these honored dead, symbolic of all American unaccounted for American combat dead. The steady rhythmic step in rain, sleet, snow, hail, heat, cold, must be uninterrupted. Uninterrupted is the important part of the honor shown.



 

Since 1930, The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24 hours a day,
365 days a year.

God Bless and keep them.

We can be very proud

of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve.

IN GOD WE TRUST

Thank You, Eldon Ogorzolka, for the thought and pictures

 

The U.S. Naval Institute 130th Annual Meeting and Annapolis Naval History Symposium (2004)
Address by Former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, May 2004


'Our Enemy Is Not Terrorism'

The former Secretary of the Navy and current member of the Kean Commission investigating the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States addressed the U.S. Naval Institute 130th Annual Meeting and Annapolis Naval History Symposium on 31 March. Following is an edited version of his remarks.

The subject here is naval history and the naval history to come. This is particularly relevant, given the subjects I've been immersed in over the last year-the so-called war on terrorism and the attacks of 9/11, what went wrong, and what we should do to fix it. I have learned that what these two institutions-the U.S. Naval Institute and the U.S. Naval Academy- stand for are at the center of what we face as a nation going forward.

We are at a juncture today that really is more of a threshold, even more of a watershed, than the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was in 1941. We are currently in a war, but it is not a war on terrorism. In fact, that has been a great confusion, and the sooner we drop that term, the better. This would be like President Franklin Roosevelt saying in World War II, "We are engaged in a war against kamikazes and blitzkrieg." Like them, terrorism is a method, a tool, a weapon that has been used against us. And part of the reason we suffered such a horrific attack is that we were not prepared. Let's not kid ourselves. Some very smart people defeated every single defense this country had, and defeated them easily, with confidence and arrogance. There are many lessons we must learn from this. We were not prepared intellectually. Those of us in the national security field still carried the baggage of the Cold War. We thought in concepts of coalition warfare and the Warsaw Pact. When we thought of terrorism, we thought only of state-sponsored terrorism, which is why the immediate reaction of many in our government agencies after 9/11 was: Which state did it? Saddam, it must have been Saddam. We had failed to grasp, for a variety of reasons, the new phenomenon that had emerged in the world. This was not state - sponsored terrorism. This was religious war.
This was the emergence of a transnational enemy driven by religious fervor and fanaticism. Our enemy is not terrorism.
Our enemy is violent, Islamic fundamentalism. None of our government institutions was set up with receptors, or even vocabulary, to deal with this. So we left ourselves completely vulnerable to a concerted attack.


Where are we today? I'd like to say we have fixed these problems, but we haven't. We have very real vulnerabilities. We have not diminished in any way the fervor and ideology of our enemy. We are fighting them in many areas of the world, and I must say with much better awareness of the issues and their nature. We're fighting with better tools. But I cannot say we are now safe from the kind of attack we saw on 9/11. I think we are much safer than we were on 9/11; the ability of our enemies to launch a concerted, sophisticated attack is much less than it was then. Still, we're totally vulnerable to the kinds of attacks we've seen in Madrid, for instance. We face a very sophisticated and intelligent enemy who has been trained, in many cases, in our universities and gone to school on our methods, learned from their mistakes, and continued to use the very nature of our free society and its aversion to intrusion in privacy and discrimination to their benefit.


For example, today it is still a prohibited offense for an airline to have two people of the same ethnic background interviewed at one time, because that is discrimination. Our airline security is still full of holes. Our ability to carry out covert operations abroad is only marginally better than it was at the time of 9/11. A huge amount of fundamental cultural and institutional change must be carried out in the United States before we can effectively deal with the nature of the threat. Today, probably 50 or more states have schools that are teaching jihad, preaching, recruiting, and training. We have absolutely no successful programs even begun to remediate against those efforts. It is very important that people understand the complexity of this threat. We have had to institute new approaches to protecting our civil liberties the way we authorize surveillance, the way we conduct our immigration and naturalization policies, and the way we issue passports. That's only the beginning. The beginning of wisdom is to recognize the problem, to recognize that for every jihadist we kill or capture as we carry out an aggressive and positive policy in Afghanistan and elsewhere another 50 are being trained in schools and mosques around the world. This problem goes back a long way. We have been asleep. Just by chance about six months ago, I picked up a book by V. S. Naipaul, one of the great English prose writers. I love to read his short stories and travelogues. The book was titled Among the Believers (New York: Vintage, 1982) and was an account of his travels in Indonesia, where he found that Saudi-funded schools and mosques were transforming Indonesian society from a very relaxed, syncretist Islam to a jihadist fundamentalist fanatical society, all paid for with Saudi Arabian funding. Nobody paid attention. Presidents in four administrations put their arms around Saudi ambassadors, ignored the Wahhabi jihadism, and said these are our eternal friends.


We have seen throughout the last 20 years a kind of head-in-the-sand approach to national security in the Pentagon. We were comfortable with the existing concept of what the threat was, what threat analysis was, and how we derived our requirements, still using the same old tools we all grew up with. We paid no attention to the real nature of this emerging threat, even though there were warning signs. Many will recall with pain what we went through in the Reagan administration in 1983, when the Marine barracks were bombed in Beirut-241 Marines and Navy corpsmen were killed.


We immediately got an intercept from NSA [National Security Agency], a total smoking gun from the foreign ministry of Iran, ordering the murder of our Marines. Nothing was done to retaliate. Instead, we did exactly what the terrorists wanted us to do, which was to withdraw. Osama bin Laden has cited this as one of his dawning moments. The vaunted United States is a paper tiger; Americans are afraid of casualties; they run like cowards when attacked; and they don't even bother to take their dead with them. This was a seminal moment for Osama. After that, we had our CIA station chief kidnapped and tortured to death. Nothing was done. Then, we had our Marine Colonel [William R.] Higgins kidnapped and publicly hanged. Nothing was done. We fueled and made these people aware of the tremendous effectiveness of terrorism as a tool of jihad. It worked. They chased us out of one place after another, because we would not retaliate. The Secretary of Defense at the time has said he never received those intercepts. That's an example of one of the huge problems our commission has uncovered. We have allowed the intelligence community to evolve into a bureaucratic archipelago of baronies in the Defense Department, the CIA, and 95 other different intelligence units in our government. None of them talked to one another in the same computerized system. There was no systemic sharing. Some will recall the Phoenix memo and the fact that there were people in the FBI saying, "Hey, there are young Arabs learning to fly and they don't want to learn how to take off or land. Maybe we should look into them." It went nowhere.


We had watch lists with 65,000 terrorists' names on them, created by a very sophisticated system in the State Department called Tip-Off. That existed before 9/11, but nobody in the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] bothered to look at it. The FAA had 12 names on its no-fly list. The State Department had a guy on its list named Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. He was already under indictment for his role in planning the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. The State Department issued him a visa. I could go on and on.


Two big lessons glare out from what our investigations have discovered so far. Number one, in our government bureaucracy today there is no accountability. Since 9/11-the greatest failure of American defenses in the history of our country, at least since the burning of Washington in 1814-only one person has been fired. He is a hero, in my judgment: [retired Vice] Admiral John Poindexter. He got fired because of an excessive zeal to catch these bastards. But he was the only one fired. Not any of the 19 officers lost their jobs at Immigration for allowing the 19 terrorists-9 who presented grossly falsified passports-to enter the country. One Customs Service officer stopped the 20th terrorist, at risk to his own career. Do you think he's been promoted? Not a chance. That is the culture we've allowed to develop, except in the Navy. We've all felt the pain over the last year of the number of skippers who have been relieved in the U.S. Navy: two on one cruiser in one year.


That's a problem for us. It's also something we should be mightily proud of, because it stands out in stark contrast to the rest of the U.S. government. In the United States Navy, we still have accountability. It's bred into our culture. And what we stand for here has to be re-spread into our government and our nation.


Actions have consequences, and people must be held accountable. Customs officer Jose Melendez-Perez stopped the 20th terrorist, who was supposed to be on Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania. Probably because of the shorthanded muscle on that team, the passengers were able to overcome the terrorists. Melendez-Perez did this at great personal risk, because his colleagues and his supervisors told him, "You can't do this. This guy is an Arab ethnic. You're racially profiling. You're going to get in real trouble, because it's against Department of Transportation policy to racially profile." He said, "I don't care. This guy's a bad guy. I can see it in his eyes." As he sent this guy back out of the United States, the guy turned around to him and said, "I'll be back." You know, he is back. He's in Guantanamo. We captured him in Afghanistan. Do you think Melendez-Perez got a promotion? Do you think he got any recognition? Do you think he is doing any better than the 19 of his time-serving, unaccountable colleagues? Don't think any bit of it. We have no accountability, but we're going to restore it.


The other glaring lack that has been discovered throughout the investigation is in leadership. Leadership is the willingness to accept the burdens and the risks, the potential embarrassment, and the occasional failure of leading men and women. It is saying: We will do it this way. I won't let that guy in. I will do this and I'll take the consequences. That's what we stand for here. That's what the crucible of the U.S. Naval Academy has carried on now since 1845, and what the U.S. Naval Institute has carried on for 130 years and hasn't compromised. We all should be very proud of it. We need leadership now more than ever. We need to re-spread this culture, which is so rare today, into the way we conduct our government business, let alone our private business.


Having said all this, I'm very optimistic. We have seen come forward in this investigation people from every part of our bureaucracy to say they screwed up and to tell what went wrong and what we've got to do to change it. We have an agenda for change. I think we're going to see a very fundamental shift in the culture of our government as a result of this. I certainly hope so. This should be a true wake-up call. We cannot let this be swept under the rug, put on the shelf like one more of the hundreds of other commissions that have gone right into the memory hole. This time, I truly believe it's going to be different.
------------------------------------------------
Contributed by:
Captain Al Blanks, USN(ret)

This e-mail was sent to me by a friend and I felt I had to share this with everyone on May 3rd, 2006. (R.W.M.)


Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending
someone-----YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !!!!

Subject: THIS WAS IN A TAMPA NEWSPAPER

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be America if we continue
to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that
came to live in America because it is the Country of Choice??????

Think about it! All we have to say is, when will they do something about
MY RIGHTS?

I celebrate Christmas..........but because it isn't celebrated by
everyone..............we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has to
be Season's Greetings.

It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing how this
winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?

We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone,
that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one has a problem with
that. This says it all!

This from a Border Patrolman from Hereford, Arizona
Finally, a look at illegal immigration from someone who has been there and
 actually knows what he's talking about. A retired border patrol agent has
 some common sense  This letter was sent to Tennessee Senator Bill Frist
 from a retired border patrol agent, and it has more common sense than all
 the bull being spewed from the Senate, with the exception of a few
 sensible representatives.

 Dear Senator Frist, There is a huge amount of propaganda and myths
 circulating about illegal aliens, particularly illegal Mexican,
 Salvadorian,Guatemalan and Honduran aliens.

 #1 Illegal aliens generally do NOT want U.S. citizenship. Americans are
 very vain thinking that everybody in the world wants to be a U.S. citizen.
 Mexicans, and other nationalities want to remain citizens of their home
 countries while obtaining the benefits offered by the United States such
 as employment, medical care, in-state tuition, government subsidized
 housing and free education for their offspring. Their main attraction is
 employment and their loyalty usually remains at home. They want benefits
 earned and subsidized by middle class Americans. What illegal aliens want
 are benefits of American residence without paying the price.

 #2. There are no jobs that Americans won't do. Illegal aliens are doing
 jobs that Americans can't take and still support their families. Illegal
 aliens take low wage jobs, live dozens in a single residence home, share
 expenses and send money to their home country. There are no jobs that
 Americans won't do for a decent wage.

 #3. Every person who illegally entered this nation left a home. They are
 NOT homeless and they are NOT Americans. Some left jobs in their home
 countries. They come to send money to their real home as evidenced by the
 more than 20 billion dollars sent out of the country each year by illegal
 aliens. These illegal aliens knowingly and willfully entered this nation
 in violation of the law and therefore assumed the risk of detection and>
 deportation. Those who brought their alien children assumed the
 responsibility and risk on behalf of their children.

 #4. Illegal aliens are NOT critical to the economy. Illegal aliens
 constitute less than 5% of the workforce. However, they reduce wages and
 benefits for lawful US. residents.

 #5. This is NOT an immigrant nation. There are 280 million native born
 Americans. While it is true that this nation was settled and founded by
 immigrants (legal immigrants), it is also true that there is not a nation
 on this planet that was not settled by immigrants at one time or another.

 #6. The United States is welcoming to legal immigrants. Illegal aliens are
 not immigrants by definition. The U.S. accepts more lawful immigrants
 every year than the rest of the world combined. #7. There is no such thing
 as the "Hispanic vote". Hispanics are white, brown, black and every shade
 in between. Hispanics are Republicans, Democrats, Anarchists, Communists,
 Marxists and Independents. The so-called "Hispanic vote" is a myth.
 Pandering to illegal aliens to get the Hispanic vote is a dead end.

 #8. Mexico is NOT a friend of the United States. Since 1848 Mexicans have
 resented the United States. During World War I Mexico allowed German Spies  to operate freely in Mexico to spy on the U.S. During World War II Mexico  allowed the Axis powers to spy on the U.S. from Mexico. During the Cold War, Mexico allowed spies hostile to the U.S. to operate freely. The
 attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 was cheered and applauded all across
 Mexico. Today Mexican school children are taught that the U.S.A. stole
 California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. If you don't believe it, check
 out some Mexican textbooks written for their schoolchildren.

 #9. Although some illegal aliens enter this country for a better life,
 there are 6 billion people on this planet. At least 1 billion of those
 live on less than one dollar a day. If wanting a better life is a valid
 excuse to break the law and sneak into America, then let's allow those one
 billion to come to America and we'll turn the USA into a Third World
 nation overnight. Besides, there are 280 million native born Americans who
 want a better life. I'll bet Bill Gates and Donald Trump want a better
 life.

 When will the USA lifeboat be full? Since when is wanting a better life a
 good reason to trash another nation? #10. There is a labor shortage in
 this country. This is a lie. There are hundreds of thousands, if not
 millions, of American housewives, senior citizens, students, unemployed
 and underemployed who would gladly take jobs at a decent wage. #11. It is
 racist to want secure borders. What is racist about wanting secure borders
 and a secure America? What is racist about not wanting people to sneak
 into America and steal benefits we have set aside for legal aliens, senior
 citizens, children and other legal residents? What is it about race that
 entitles people to violate our laws, steal identities, and take the
 American Dream without paying the price?

 For about four decades, American politicians have refused to secure our
 borders and look after the welfare of middle class Americans. These
 politicians have been of both parties. A huge debt to American society has
 resulted. This debt will be satisfied and the interest will be high. There
 have already been riots in the streets by illegal aliens and their
 supporters. There will be more. You, as a politician, have a choice to
 offend the illegal aliens who have stolen into this country and demanded
 the rights afforded to U.S. citizens or to offend those of us who are
 stakeholders in this country. The interest will be steep either way. There
 will be civil unrest.

 There will be a reckoning. Do you have the courage to do what is right for
 America? Or, will you bow to the wants and needs of those who don't even
 have the right to remain here? There will be a reckoning. It will come in
 November of this year, again in 2008 and yet again in 2010. We will not
 allow America to be stolen by third world agitators and thieves.

 David J. Stoddard U.S. Border Patrol (RET) Hereford, Arizona

 And NOTICE, his residence is along the Arizona and Mexico border!!!!!!!!!


This is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa,
FL Newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he? Read on, please!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT. I am tired of this nation worrying
about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the
terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism
by the majority of Americans. However...... the dust from the attacks had
barely settled when the "politically correct! " crowd began complaining
about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is
seeking a better life by coming to ! America. Our population is almost
entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few
things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently
some born here, need to understand. This idea of America being a
multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our
national identity. As Americans..... we have our own culture, our own
society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been
developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions
of men and women who have sought freedom.


We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese,
Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of
our society, learn the language!

"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right
wing, political slogan.. We adopted this motto because Christian men and
women.......on Christian principles............ founded this nation.....
and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it
on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you
consider another part of the world as your new home.........because God is
part of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you
should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are
happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't
care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our
land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right
to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so!
But once you are done complaining....... whining...... and griping.......
about our flag....... our pledge...... our national motto........or our
way of life....I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other Great
American Freedom.......

THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.


It is Time for America to Speak up If you agree -- pass this along; if you
don't agree -- delete it - You are in the WRONG Country!

AMEN

I figure if we all keep passing this to our friends (and enemies) it will
also, sooner or later get back to the complainers, lets all try, please!

                 

From a speech made by Capt. John S. McCain, US, (Rep) who represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate:

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.

One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country, and our military, provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.

As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed it on the inside of his shirt. Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell, it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that
dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

YOU AND MEN LIKE MIKE'S CONTRIBUTION TO OUR COUNTRY WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN, SENATOR MCCAIN

Thank You, Brother Mike Berger, Lincoln, Nebraska

This from Marvin Kraus of Friend, Ne. on Jan. 26th 2007

             All Americans should be given this lesson. Those who think
that America is an arrogant nation should really reconsider that thought.

Our founding fathers used GOD's word and teachings to establish our Great Nation and I think it's high time Americans get re-educated about this Nation's history. Pass it along and be proud of the country we live in and even more proud of those who serve to protect our "GOD GIVEN" rights and freedoms

   FROM THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE FLAG MANUAL

A thoughful message to some of you that may not be aware of purpose and meaning of the American flag and why it is folded and delivered as it is upon the death of an honored individual. If you already know about this, it will not hurt to review the meaning again.


In the coming weeks, we will visit through TV and news reports the
funerals of many people. In those clips, we will see the folding of our
flag over the caskets of many victims of September 11, 2001. When you see this, I want you to remember something very special. Those whose bodies are laid to earthly rest will be honored by a tradition of folding the American Flag. This is not just a nice gesture, but has great meaning from our history--A history which even terror cannot overcome. And so, as you get the lumps in your throats, tears in your eyes, and struggle with bitterness, anger, and frustration, here is something to remember how special these people were:

Why The American Flag Is Folded 13 Times

Have you ever noticed on TV or a military funerals that the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the American flag 13 times? I've known how the 21 gun salute was determined (adding the individual digits of 1776), but only recently learned why the flag was folded 13 times when it is lowered or when it is folded and handed to the widow at the burial of a veteran. Here it is:

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans
departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.

The forth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen
Decatur, "Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that
we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of
the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor
mother, for whom it flies on Mother's Day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his
sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an
emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding us
of our nation's motto, "In God We Trust". After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for us the rights, privileges, and freedoms we enjoy today.

There are some traditions and ways of doing things which have deep
meaning. You will see many flags folded in the coming weeks and now you will know why.

From Dana in Shriners 2000


                                         HELLO! THIS IS AMERICA


A news channel on television, orders flags removed from the newsroom and red, white, and blue ribbons removed from the lapels of reporters.

Why?

Management did not want to appear biased and felt that our nations flag might give the appearance that "they lean one way or another".

A city in California bans U.S. Flags from being displayed on city fire trucks because they didn't want to offend anyone in the community.

In an "act of tolerance" the head of the public library in a Florida University ordered all "Proud to be an American" signs removed so as to not offend international students.

I, for one, am quite disturbed by these actions of so-called American citizens; and I am tired of this nation worrying about whether or not we are offending some individual or their culture.

Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled in New York and Washington D.C. when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America.

In fact, our country's population is almost entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants;however, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some native Americans, need to understand.

First of all, it is not our responsibility to continually try not to offend you in any way. This idea of America being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity.

As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language,and our own lifestyle.

This culture, called the "American Way" has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

Our forefathers fought, bled, and died at places such as Bunker Hill, Antietam, San Juan, Iwo Jima, Normandy, Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere.

We speak English, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society - learn our language!

"In God We Trust" is our national motto.

This is not some off-the-wall, Christian, Right Wing, political slogan; it is our national motto.

It is engraved in stone in the House of Representatives in our Capitol and it is printed on our currency.

We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation; and this is clearly documented throughout our history.

If it is appropriate for our motto to be inscribed in the halls of our highest level of Government, then it is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools.

God is in our pledge, our National Anthem, nearly every patriotic song, and in our founding documents. We honor His birth, death, and resurrection as holidays, and we turn to Him in prayer in times of crisis.

If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture and we are proud to have Him.

We are proud of our heritage and those who have so honorably defended our freedoms. We celebrate Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Flag Day.

We have parades, picnics, and barbecues where we proudly wave our flag.

As an American, I have the right to wave my flag, sing my national anthem, quote my national motto, and cite my pledge whenever and wherever I choose.

If the Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.

The American culture is our way of life, our heritage, and we are proud of it.We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from, if it was so superior, go home.

We are Americans, like it or not, this is our country, our land, and our lifestyle.

Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion about our government, culture, or society, and we will allow you every opportunity to do so.

But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag,our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great American freedom, the right to leave.


If you agree, pass this onto other Americans!! It is time to take a stand!!

MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA- LAND THAT WE LOVE!!!

This was sent to this editor from W.B. , Companion and Sir Knight Fred Wyant of York, Nebraska. Thank you, S.K. Fred, I certainly agree with you.


                            A SHRINERS MESSAGE

No Man Has Ever Stood So Tall As When He Stooped To Help A Child

What Are Shriners?  What Do They Do?

The Shrine is perhaps best known for its colorful parades, its distinctive red fez, and its official philanthropy "Shriners Hospitals for Children." The Shriners Have 22 Hospitals For Children (19 Orthopedic and 3 Burns Hospitals).  If you know of a child Shriner Hospitals might be able to help,
please call our toll free patient referral line.  Hospital services are FREE for ANY child in need of their Care. 
In the U.S.:  1-800-237-5055
In Canada :  1-800-361-7256
(Note:  The Shriners Burns Centers were made available for adults burned in America's recent tragedy.)

I have been a member of the Odessa Shrine Club (a unit of El Maida Shrine Temple in El Paso) since 1983.  I, like many other Shriners, take for granted that everyone knows what Shriners do.  However, there has been many occasions where someone would ask me, "What do Shriners do?"  I enjoy giving them the answer. 

The following is a recent article written by the El Maida Temple Potentate, Herb Austin.   I felt inclined to pass this along to the public because it expresses my thoughts. (Editors Note: It also expresses the thoughts of many Shriners throughout North America. Thanks Noble Kenn.)

Kenn Hill
Odessa, Texas

Message from the Potentate

As we reflect on the terror that has been inflicted on our country, we share the pain and sorrow of all the friends and families of the victims of these horrific acts. We must know that we also lost many Brothers and Nobles of our great fraternity. We pray for them and their families.

Someone, not of our fraternity, said to me today" I'll bet you're not too happy to be wearing that Fez and wearing those costumes you guys wear in the parades these days."   He knew a little, very little, about our history and purpose.

I was, at first, taken aback. I thought for a minute and then proceeded to tell him about us. I told him that this great and noble fraternity was formed by a group of fun loving masons for the purpose of fun.  These founders chose to pattern the fraternity after the characters of Arabic. There was history and mystery and tradition involved.  The scimitar, crescent moon, sphinx's head and star, were assembled as our symbol. Our characters were patterned after Arabic and Muslim characters.  Our greetings are of peace and brotherhood. As we grew we had brass bands, marching units, Oriental bands and clowns.  And we had fun.  But, we needed a purpose.  We then formed a hospital for children.  It grew and grew and we added more and more hospitals and took care of crippled children and burned children.  We set the standard and pioneered the technology for treating burned children. We were at the forefront of techniques and procedures for orthopedics. Now we had a purpose and we had fun.   "Fun with a Purpose"

We have members of our great fraternity from all nationalities, ethnic backgrounds and religions.  They are good and decent people.  They are my friends and brothers.

Psychotic murderers, who happened to be from the Middle East, performed the despicable deeds of September 11.

Just because we wear costumes and regalia from another part of the world in our fun and frivolity in no way indicates any sympathies with radical causes, just as it does not connect those good and decent citizens in this country with ethnic backgrounds to those causes.  We are Masons and Shriners
and we help children.

Yes, I told the fellow, I am happy, very happy to wear that red fez at this or anytime.   And I am happy to tell our story of how we help kids, over and over so that people look past our garb and look into our hearts, inspect our deeds and know what we are about.

He looked down, then up at me, apologized for his remarks, and asked how he might become worthy enough to wear the red fez and help the kids.

Let us have the strength and character to tell our story and be proud of who we are and what we do. We must not let ignorance and prejudice help further the cause of those fanatical few who would bring us down.  God Bless America.

Herb Austin
Potentate
El Maida Temple
El Paso, Texas

SOMETHING EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ATOMIC, BIOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL WARFARE AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Much of this I have said all along, especially about nuclear waste. It isn't nearly as bad as the media and the people who make their living off of scaring people make it out to be. Right Eminent Sir Knight Fred Wyant, Past Grand Commander, Knights Templar of Nebraska.

I, too, have been to school on ABC Warfare at Navy Schools in the fifty’s. They were teaching us then about nerve gases and biological weapons and nuclear warfare. We were issued syringes in which to nullify the effects of nerve gases. This is an excellent update on protecting oneself. The Editor.


Since the media has decided to scare everyone with predictions of chemical, biological, or nuclear warfare on our turf I decided to write a paper and keep things in their proper perspective. I am a retired military weapons, munitions, and training expert.

Lesson number one: In the mid 1990's there were a series of nerve gas attacks on crowded Japanese subway stations. Given perfect conditions for an attack less than 10% of the people there were injured (the injured were better in a few hours) and only one percent of the injured died. 60 Minutes once had a fellow telling us that one drop of nerve gas could kill a thousand people, well he didn't tell you the thousand dead people per drop was theoretical. Drill Sergeants exaggerate how terrible this stuff was to keep the recruits awake in class (I know this because I was a Drill Sergeant too). Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the movies, or read in a novel about this stuff, it was all a lie (read this sentence again out loud!)! These weapons are about terror. If you remain calm, you will probably not die. This is far less scary than the media and their "Experts," make it sound.

Chemical weapons are categorized as Nerve, Blood, Blister, and Incapacitating agents. Contrary to the hype of reporters and politicians they are not weapons of mass destruction. They are "Area denial," and terror weapons that don't destroy anything. When you leave the area you almost always leave the risk. That's the difference; you can leave the area and the risk; soldiers may have to stay put and sit through it and that's why they need all that spiffy gear.

These are not gasses, they are vapors and/or air borne particles. The agent must be delivered in sufficient quantity to kill/injure, and that defines when/how it's used. Every day we have a morning and evening inversion where "stuff," suspended in the air gets pushed down. This inversion is why allergies (pollen) and air pollution are worst at these times of the day.So, a chemical attack will have it's best effect an hour of so either side of sunrise/sunset. Also, being vapors and airborne particles they are heavier than air so they will seek low places like ditches, basements and underground garages. This stuff won't work when it's freezing, it doesn't last when it's hot, and wind spreads it too thin, too fast. They've got to get this stuff on you, or, get you to inhale it for it to work. They also have to get the concentration of chemicals high enough to kill or wound you. Too little and it's nothing, too much and it's wasted.


What I hope you've gathered by this point is that a chemical weapons attack that kills a lot of people is incredibly hard to do with military grade agents and equipment so you can imagine how hard it will be for terrorists.

The more you know about this stuff the more you realize how hard it is to use.

We'll start by talking about nerve agents. You have these in your house, plain old bug killer (like Raid) is nerve agent. All nerve agents work the same way; they are cholinesterase inhibitors that mess up the signals your nervous system uses to make your body function. It can harm you if you get it on your skin but it works best if they can get you to inhale it. If you don't die in the first minute and you can leave the area you're probably gonna live. The military's antidote for all nerve agents is atropine and pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does anything to cure the nerve agent, they send your body into overdrive to keep you alive for five minutes, after that the agent is used up. Your best protection is fresh air and staying calm. Listed below are the symptoms for nerve agent poisoning.

Sudden headache, Dimness of vision (someone you're looking at will have pinpointed pupils), Runny nose, Excessive saliva or drooling, Difficulty breathing, Tightness in chest, Nausea, Stomach cramps, Twitching of exposed skin where a liquid just got on you.If you are in public and you start experiencing these symptoms, first ask yourself, did anything out of the ordinary just happen, a loud pop, did someone spray something on the crowd? Are other people getting sick too?

Is there an odor of new mown hay, green corn, something fruity, or camphor where it shouldn't be?

If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you breathe faster and inhale more air/poison) leave the area and head up wind, or, outside. Fresh air is the best "right now antidote". If you have a blob of liquid that looks like molasses or Kayro syrup on you; blot it or scrape it off and away from yourself with anything disposable. This stuff works based on your body weight, what a crop duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt you unless you stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick the residue off the ground for while. Remember they have to do all the work. They have to get the concentration up and keep it up for several minutes while all you have to do is quit getting it on you/quit breathing it by putting space between you and the attack.

Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect your blood's ability to provide oxygen to your tissue. The scenario for attack would be the same as nerve agent. Look for a pop or someone splashing/spraying something and folks around there getting woozy/falling down. The telltale smells are bitter almonds or garlic where it shouldn't be. The symptoms are blue lips, blue under the fingernails rapid breathing. The military's antidote is amyl nitride and just like nerve agent antidote it just keeps your body working for five minutes till the toxins are used up. Fresh air is the your best individual chance.

Blister agents (distilled mustard) are so nasty that nobody wants to even handle it let alone use it. It's almost impossible to handle safely and may have delayed effect of up to 12 hours. The attack scenario is also limited to the things you'd see from other chemicals. If you do get large, painful blisters for no apparent reason, don't pop them. Don't let the liquid from the blister get on any other area. The stuff just keeps on spreading. It's just as likely to harm the user as the target. Soap, water, sunshine, and fresh air are this stuff's enemy. Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they use industrial chemical spills); they are intended to make you panic, to terrorize you, to herd you like sheep to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the area and go upwind, or to the sides of the wind stream. They have to get the stuff to you, and on you. You're more likely to be hurt by a drunk driver on any given day than be hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds get better if you leave the area. Soap, water, time, and fresh air really deal this stuff a knock-out-punch. Don't let fear of an isolated attack rule your
life. The odds are really on your side.

Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass destruction on earth. The effects of a nuclear bomb are heat, blast, EMP, and radiation. If you see a bright flash of light like the sun, where the sun isn't, fall to the ground! The heat will be over a second. Then there will be two blast waves, one out going, and one on it's way back. Don't stand up to see what happened after the first wave; anything that's going to happen will have happened in two full minutes.

These will be low yield devices and will not level whole cities. If you live through the heat, blast, and initial burst of radiation, you'll probably live for a very very long time. Radiation will not create fifty foot tall women, or giant ants and grass hoppers the size of tanks. These will be at the most 1 kiloton bombs; that's the equivalent of 1,000 tons of TNT.


Here's the real deal, flying debris and radiation will kill a lot of exposed (not all!) people within a half mile of the blast. Under perfect conditions this is about a half mile circle of death and destruction, but, when it's done it's done. EMP stands for Electro Magnetic Pulse and it will fry every electronic device for a good distance, it's impossible to say what and how far but probably not over a couple of miles from ground zero is a good guess. Cars, cell phones, computers, ATMs, you name it, all will be out of order.

There are lots of kinds of radiation, you only need to worry about three, the others you have lived with for years. You need to worry about "Ionizing radiation," these are little sub atomic particles that go whizzing along at the speed of light. They hit individual cells in your body, kill the nucleus and keep on going. That's how you get radiation poisoning, you have so many dead cells in your body that the decaying cells poison you. It's the same as people getting radiation treatments for cancer, only a bigger area gets radiated. The good news is you don't have to just sit there and take it, and there's lots you can do rather than panic. First; your skin will stop alpha particles, a page of a newspaper or your clothing will stop beta particles, you just gotta try and avoid inhaling dust that's contaminated with atoms that are emitting these things and you'll be generally safe from them. Gamma rays are particles that travel like rays (quantum physics makes my brain hurt) and they create the same damage as alpha and beta particles only they keep going and kill lots of cells as they go all the way through your
body. It takes a lot to stop these things, lots of dense material, on the other hand it takes a lot of this to kill you.

Your defense is as always to not panic. Basic hygiene and normal preparation are your friends. All canned or frozen food is safe to eat. The radiation poisoning will not effect plants so fruits and vegetables are OK if there's no dust on em (rinse’ em off if there is). If you don't have running water and you need to collect rain water or use water from wherever, just let it sit for thirty minutes and skim off the water gently from the top. The dust with the bad stuff in it will settle and the remaining water can be used for the toilet which will still work if you have a bucket of water to pour in the tank.

Finally there's biological warfare. There's not much to cover here. Basic personal hygiene and sanitation will take you further than a million doctors. Wash your hands often, don't share drinks, food, sloppy kisses, etc., ... with strangers. Keep your garbage can with a tight lid on it, don't have standing water (like old buckets, ditches, or kiddie pools) laying around to allow mosquitoes breeding room. This stuff is carried by vectors, that is bugs, rodents, and contaminated material. If biological warfare is so easy as the TV makes it sound, why has Saddam Hussein spent twenty years, millions, and millions of dollars trying to get it right? If you're clean of person and home you eat well and are active you're gonna live.

Overall preparation for any terrorist attack is the same as you'd take for a big storm. If you want a gas mask, fine, go get one. I know this stuff and I'm not getting one and I told my Mom not to bother with one either (how's that for confidence). We have a week's worth of cash, several days worth of canned goods and plenty of soap and water. We don't leave stuff out to attract bugs or rodents so we don't have them.

These people can't conceive a nation this big with this much resources. These weapons are made to cause panic, terror, and to demoralize. If we don't run around like sheep they won't use this stuff after they find out it's no fun. The government is going nuts over this stuff because they have to protect every inch of America. You've only gotta protect yourself, and by doing that, you help the country.

Finally, there are millions of caveats to everything I wrote here and you can think up specific scenarios where my advice isn't the best. This letter is supposed to help the greatest number of people under the greatest number of situations. If you don't like my work, don't nit pick, just sit down and explain chemical, nuclear, and biological warfare in a document around three pages long yourself. This is how we, the people of the United States, can rob these people of their most desired goal, your terror.

SFC Red Thomas (Ret)
Armor Master Gunner
Mesa, AZ
Unlimited reproduction and distribution is authorized. Just give me credit
for my work, and, keep in context.

THANK YOU, RED. YOUR EXPERTISE IS APPRECIATED




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