USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Guest Military Chaplain ~ Jewish Chapel at West Point ~ NOV 30 2003

Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, Texas ^ | Colonel Merton Singer

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Welcome to
The USO Canteen FReeper Style

Today's Spiritual Journey takes us to the

Chaplains at West Point

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Click on graphic to link to the original sermon.

The Founding of the Jewish Chapel at West Point

Sermon given July 9, 1999, by COL Merton Singer
on the Occasion of the Temple's Armed Forces Sabbath

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is both a military school and a university. It was started in 1802 by President Jefferson, acting on George Washington's advice that to avoid war our country must be strong. Admission is by appointment by the President, Vice President, U. S. Senators and Congressmen. Appointments are also available to enlisted soldiers and members of the ROTC by competition and examination.

The government pays for everything, including a salary, which is half the pay of a second lieutenant. West Point is co-ed. Graduates include President Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, Robert E. Lee, U. S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Omar Bradley, George Patton, William Westmoreland, and Norman Schwarzkopf. Graduates who have been, and are, prominent in civilian life, include many engineers, who helped to settle our country by building new railroads to the west. Also, there are many, many well-known leaders of industry, such as Gen. Robert E. Wood, founder of Sears. The list is in the thousands.

Of the first two graduates in 1803, one was Jewish. Records show, however, that over the years only 1% of the Corps of Cadets remained Jewish. However, there were never Jewish services until 1934, when I arranged to get them started when I was a plebe (freshman). Religious services were mandatory for about 150 years. Upon entering the Academy, I was asked, "What religious services do you want to attend – Catholic or Protestant?" I said, "Sir, I am Jewish." The upper classman retorted, "The question, mister, is, what services do you want to attend – Catholic or Protestant?" I said "Protestant," so, for four years, I attended Protestant services every Sunday. The experience didn't hurt, I guess.

However, in October of my freshman year, when the High Holy Days, Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, arrived, I realized there was no opportunity for a Jew to worship. I approached the Protestant Chaplain, whose name was Roscoe Faust, and informed him of the situation facing Jewish cadets. Chaplain Faust was an understanding gentleman. He had not realized that there were no Jewish services and felt that something should be done. He brought in Rabbi Bloom, a civilian from nearby Newburgh, New York, to hold services for the holidays. Rabbi Bloom then came in every Saturday afternoon, during free time for cadets, and held Sabbath services in Chaplain Faust's office. Attendance was optional and one to twelve Jewish cadets would attend.

Rabbi Bloom also did a great job of introducing cadets to Jewish young ladies from Newburgh. Attendance at chapel services had to compete with dating, athletic contests, picnics, and other extra-curricular events. So we had different numbers in attendance each Saturday afternoon. After about a year and a half or maybe two years, Rabbi Bloom, not surprisingly, grew tired of rendering Saturday afternoon services. I contacted the Jewish Welfare Board in New York City. The Jewish Welfare Board designated Reserve Colonel Rabbi Benjamin A. Tintner to hold services for Jewish cadets. Tintner sized up the situation quickly and decided to hold weekly services at West Point on Wednesday afternoons instead of Saturdays, thereby increasing attendance. He arranged the first ever Passover Seder in the cadet mess hall in April 1937. He brought all the Passover goodies from New York City. He made many heroic trips up the often snowbound Storm King Highway leading from New York City to West Point. At the appropriate time, Rabbi Tintner approached the West Point authorities and charmed them into accepting compulsory, separate Jewish services on Sunday mornings, the same time as the Catholic and Protestant ones. There was, and still is, a beautiful Protestant chapel built by the U. S. government and a lovely Catholic chapel paid for with private funds.

For Jewish services, the superintendent in September 1938, permitted Jewish cadets to use the old cadet chapel, which was made famous by Benedict Arnold, the infamous traitor, who turned vital military information over to the British army during our country's fight for independence. Rabbi Tintner continued his services for many years. It was a joy to see Jewish services finally accepted on the same level with the other two major religions. In the early 1970's, the U. S. Congress determined that religious services at West Point could not be compulsory, so attendance became optional, as it is today.

In 1960, I was assigned the job of commanding officer of Fort Jay, on Governors Island, which is close to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and four minutes by ferry from the Battery of New York City. I was also president of the West Point Society of New York, an alumni organization. Two graduates, brothers and New Yorkers Alan and Herbert Lichtenberg; the father of Jim Salander ('66); and I got together and decided that the time had come to build a Jewish cadet chapel at West Point, which I had dreamed about for 27 years while on active duty. Since I was, at that time, a trustee of the Military Academy and well known in military and New York civilian circles, the other three felt that I should assume the presidency of the West Point Jewish Cadet Chapel Committee.

The purpose of the committee was not only to commence raising funds, but also to procure the approval of the West Point superintendent and the Department of the Army to build the chapel. The superintendent of the Military Academy, LTG Donald Bennett, was understanding. He approved the concept of a Jewish cadet chapel. He procured the concurrence of the Department of the Army. He selected a magnificent site high on a hill on the same level as the Protestant and Catholic chapels. We found the right architect and we went to work raising money. Both Jews and Christians, graduates and non-graduates, served on the Fund Raising Committee. Fifteen years later, all the funds were raised and the chapel completed.

Today 46 Jewish cadets, out of a total enrollment of 4500, attend services, but still represent 1%. The chapel is headed by a regular Army Jewish chaplain, who is assigned as Jewish Chaplain, USMA. The chapel is the center of weekly services and social activities and is often frequented by Christian classmates. It is great for Jewish cadets to meet Jewish military, as well as civilian families. Of course, High Holy Days are celebrated in the traditional fashion, and the chapel is the locale for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions. There is a Jewish Cadet Chapel Choir that performs regularly, not only at West Point, but around the country. Each summer, New York City supporters send six to eight Jewish, as well as Christian, cadets to Israel for a week.

The chapel is a home away from home for Jewish cadets and is a place for cadets to rally when they have problems. It is the center of religious, as well as social, activities. The chapel is physically magnificent. It melds in with the traditional West Point cold gray color. It has become a monument and is visited by many thousands of tourists each year. The chapel is a tribute to our traditions and to our country.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Tonk. How's it going?

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Sunday !

Have a cup while you Freep !

For those who prefer hot chocolate.....

[MeekOneGOP]

Thought I'd share this e-mail joke I got from my brother ...

After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said: "Let me see if I've got this right."

"You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. And I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits."

"You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self esteem You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job."

"I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and scholarships, encourage respect for the cultural diversity of others, and oh, make sure that I give the girls in my class fifty percent of my attention."

"My contract requires me to work on my own time after school, evenings and weekends grading papers. Also, I must spend my summer vacation at my own expense working toward advance certification and a Masters degree. And on my own time you want me to attend committee and faculty meetings, PTA meetings, and participate in staff development training."

"I am to be a paragon of virtue, larger than life, such that my very presence will awe my students into being obedient and respectful of authority. And I am to pledge allegiance to family values and this current administration."

"You want me to incorporate technology into the learning experience, monitor web sites, and relate personally with each student. That includes deciding who might be potentially dangerous and/or liable to commit a crime in school."

"I am to make sure all students pass the mandatory state exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments. Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap. And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card."

"All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps! "You want me to do all of this and yet you expect me. . . .

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NOT TO PRAY?"

[xzins]

November 30, 2003

Lord God, all the earth praises Your name. And on our Lord's Day sabbath we pause, according to Your example, and spend time specifically to worship You and to participate in Your rest.

Yet there are those who steal peace from the earth with their murders and their thefts. We pray that You bring them all to Justice. Especially, Lord, we pray for the soon capture of the murderer Saddam Hussein and for the execution of Justice upon him.

We pray that churches throughout America would reject him and those who, like Hillary Clinton, Jacques Chirac, and Howard Dean, support Saddam Hussein with their anti-American propaganda. We pray that you silence these evil ones who would destroy the morale of our troops, our troop families, and our nation.

Stand up for Your people, O Lord.

We pray in the name of Jesus; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[Aeronaut]

Thanks and good morning Linda.

[The Mayor]

O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done. —Matthew 26:42

God's answers are wiser than our prayers.

[The Mayor]

November 30, 2003

Unanswered Prayer

Read: Matthew 26:36-44

O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done. —Matthew 26:42

Bible In One Year: 2 Corinthians 10-13

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Have you or a friend been afflicted with an illness for which there is no medical cure? Has God denied your repeated requests for healing? Has His refusal to say yes caused you to question His purpose?

An article by Carol Bradley tells us about the wisdom of Craig Satterlee, a seminary professor in Chicago. He has been legally blind since birth, with only 20 percent of normal vision. Does he complain, saying that God has not kept His promise to answer prayer? By no means! He believes wholeheartedly that God has given him something even better.

"I am whole," he testifies, "even though I am legally blind." If introduced as a believer in the power of prayer, he graciously explains, "I don't believe in the power of prayer. I believe in the power and presence of God, so I pray." He adds, "We know that God brings light out of darkness, life out of death, hope out of despair. That's what Scripture teaches us."

Prayer isn't the way to get God to do whatever we want. It's an expression of our trust in His power, wisdom, and grace. No matter what we ask God to do for us, we are to have the attitude of Jesus, who said, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). —Vernon Grounds

I know not by what methods rare,
But this I know—God answers prayer;
I leave my prayers with Him alone,
Whose will is wiser than my own. —Hickok

God's answers are wiser than our prayers.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on November 30:
538 St Gregory of Tours chronicler/bishop
1466 Andrea Doria Genoese statesman/admiral
1554 Philip Sidney England, poet/statesman/soldier (Arcadia)
1667 Jonathan Swift Engl, satirist (Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal)
1793 Johann Lukas Schonlein helped establish scientific medicine
1810 Oliver Fisher Winchester rifle maker (Winchester)
1817 Theodor Mommsen Germany, historian/writer (Nobel 1902)
1835 Samuel Clemens [Mark Twain], author (Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn)
1863 Andres Bonifacio leader of 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain
1874 Sir Winston Churchill (C) British PM (1940-45, 1951-55, Nobel 1953)
1894 Ture Rangstrom Stockholm Sweden, composer/critic (Kronbruden)
1898 Roy (Link) Lyman NFL tackle (Chicago Bears)
1907 Jacques Barzun France, author (The House of Interlect)
1912 Gordon Parks film director/writer (Learning Tree)
1913 John K.M. McCaffery Moscow Idaho, TV host (One Minute Please)
1915 Angier Biddle Duke NYC, US Ambassador (Spain)
1915 Henry Taube chemist (Nobel 1983)
1920 Virginia Mayo St Louis MO, actress (Out of the Blue, White Heat)
1923 Efrem Zimbalist Jr actor (77 Sunset Strip, FBI, Scruples)
1924 Allan Sherman parody singer/songwriter (Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah)
1924 Shirley Chisholm (D-Rep-NY), 1st black congresswoman/presidential candidate
1926 Richard Crenna Los Angeles CA, actor (Rambo, Summer Rental, Sand Pebbles)
1927 Robert Guillaume St Louis MO, actor (Benson, Soap)
1928 Chic Hecht (Sen-R-NV)
1928 Rex Reason Berlin Germany, actor (This Island Earth)
1929 Joan Ganz Cooney Phoenix AZ, TV exec (Children's TV Workshop)
1930 G Gordon Liddy Watergate felon, radio talk-show host
1931 Gunther Herbig Usti-nad-Labem Czech, conductor (East Berlin Orchestra)
1931 Jack Ging Alva Ok, actor (11th Hour, Ripcord, Tales of Wells Fargo)
1031 Davey Jones rocker (Monkees-Daydream Believer, Last Train To Clarksville, I'm A Believer)
1931 Jack Sheldon Jacksonville FL, actor (Run Buddy Run, Merv Griffin)
1933 Linwood C Ivey NC, (Mayor-Garysburg NC)
1936 Abbie Hoffman aka Free, Yippie/activist/author (Steal this Book)
1937 Paul Stookey Baltimore MD, singer (Peter, Paul & Mary-Wedding Song)
1937 Richard Threlkeld newscaster (ABC-TV)
1939 Walter Weller Vienna Austria, conductor (Vienna Tonkusteler Orchestra)
1947 David Mamet US playwright/director (Speed the Plow, House of Games)
1949 Arthur Lee Washington Jr one of FBI's most wanted
1950 Kathryn Witt Miami FL, actress (Pam-Flying High, Lenny)
1950 Margaret Whitton Philadelphia PA, actress (Barbara-Hometown, Major League)
1950 Paul Westphal NBA guard (Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns)
1951 Dian Parkinson TV model (Price is Right)
1952 Mandy Patinkin actor/singer (Yentl, Alien Nation)
1953 Shuggie (Johnny) Otis, Jr. (musician)
1954 June Pointer singer (Pointer Sisters-I'm So excited)
1955 Billy Idol [William Broad], rocker (White Wedding)
1959 Sylvia Hanika Munich West Germany, tennis player (Avon-1982)
1962 Bo Jackson baseball/football player (Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Raiders)
1969 Carrie Jean Yazel Huntington Beach CA, playmate (May, 1991)

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Deaths which occurred on November 30:
30 -BC- Cleopatra Egyptian queen commits suicide(made an asp of herself)
1016 Edmund II Ironsides, King of the Saxons (1016), dies at 27
1631 Rabbi Samuel Eliezer ben Judah ha-levi Edels dies
1694 Marcello Malpighi father of microscopic anatomy, dies
1900 Oscar Wilde Irish author, dies in Paris
1964 Don Redman orchestra leader (Sugar Hill Times), dies at 64
1973 Bruce Yarnell Los Angeles CA, actor (Outlaws), dies at 35
1979 Zeppo Marx dies at 78
1981 Robert H Harris actor (Jake-The Goldbergs), dies at 72
1987 Arthur H Dean lawyer/advisor to FDR, dies at 89
1990 Norman Cousins editor (Saturday Review), dies at 75
1996 Tiny Tim singer with the falsetto warble and ukulele ("Tiptoe Through the Tulips" ), dies at 64

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 RICHARDSON STEPHEN G.---SEATTLE WA.
1967 KUSHNER FLOYD H.---DANVILLE VA.
[03/16/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1968 BADER ARTHUR E.---ATLANTIC CITY NJ.
[REMAINS RETURNED 7-31-89 ID 2/08/90]
1968 FITTS RICHARD A.---ABINGTON MA.
REMAINS RETURNED 04/89]
1968 LA BOHN GARY R.---WIXON MI.
[REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90]
1968 MEIN MICHAEL H.---CAPE VINCENT NY.
[REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90]
1968 SCHOLZ KLAUS D.---AMARILLO TX.
[REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90]
1968 STACKS RAYMOND C.---MEMPHIS TN.
[REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90]
1968 TOOMEY SAMUEL K. III---INDEPENDENCE MO.
[REMAINS RETURNED 3/08/89 ID 2/08/90]
1970 STRINGER JOHN C. II---HAZARD KY.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
306 St Marcellus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1523 Amsterdam bans assembly of heretics
1554 England reconciles with Pope Julius III
1630 16,000 inhabitants of Venice die this month of plague
1648 English army captures King Charles I
1678 Roman Catholics banned from English parliament
1782 Britain signs agreement recognizing US independence
1803 Spain cedes her claims to Louisiana Territory to France
1804 Impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase begins
1864 Battle of Franklin, Tennessee
1866 Work begins on 1st US underwater highway tunnel, Chicago
1885 The opera "Le Cid" is produced (Paris)
1886 1st commercially successful AC electric power plant opens, Buffalo
1887 1st indoor softball game (Chicago)
1906 President Theodore Roosevelt publicly denounces segregation of Japanese schoolchildren in San Francisco
1907 Pike Place Market dedicated in Seattle
1924 1st photo facsimile transmitted across Atlantic by radio
1936 London's Crystal Palace (built 1851), destroyed by fire
1939 USSR invades Finland over a border dispute
1940 1st game of only 2-game Grey Cup (Ottawa 8, Toronto Balmy Beach 2)
1941 101 year old Nyack-Tarrytown (NY) ferry makes its last run
1947 Day after UN decree for Israel, Jewish settlements attacked
1948 Baseball's Negro National League disbands
1948 Soviets set up a separate municipal government in East Berlin
1949 Chinese Communists captured Chungking
1954 1st meteorite ( 8 lb ) known to strike a woman (Liz Hodges-Sylacauga AL)
1958 1st guided missile destroyer launched, Dewey, Bath, Me
1959 Joe Foss named 1st commissioner of AFL
1961 USSR vetoes Kuwait's application for UN membership
1962 U Thant of Burma elected 3rd Secretary-General of UN unanimously
1964 USSR launches Zond 2 towards Mars; no data returned
1966 Barbados gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1966 Radio time signal WWV moves from Greenbelt, MD to Boulder, CO
1967 Julie Nixon & David Eisenhower announce their engagement
1967 Kuria Muria islands ceded by Britain to Oman
1967 People's Rep of South Yemen (Aden) gains independence from Britain
1970 George Harrison releases his triple album set "All Things Must Pass"
1972 BBC bans Wings "Hi, Hi, Hi"
1972 Illegal fireworks factory explodes killing 15 (Rome Italy)
1974 20th time Islanders shut-out (3-0 vs Canucks)
1975 Dahomey becomes Benin
1979 Ted Koppel becomes anchor of nightly news on Iranian Hostages (ABC)
1981 Porn star John Holmes arrested on fugitive charges
1982 STS-6 vehicle moves to launch pad
1982 US sub Thomas Edison collides with US Navy destroyer in So China Sea
1983 Denver Nugget coach Doug Moe, hopelessly behind, advise team to let Blazers break their scoring record
1983 Radio Shack announces the Tandy Model 2000 computer (80186 chip)
1988 Cyclone lashes Bangladesh, Eastern India; 317 killed
1988 NYC furrier sues Mike Tyson for $92,000 for non payment of purchase
1988 Soviets stop jamming Radio Liberty; 1st time in 38 years
1988 UN General Assembly (151-2) censures US for refusing PLO's Arafat visa
1990 Bush proposes US-Iraq meeting to avoid war
1991 93 cars & 11 truck accident near San Francisco during a dust storm, 17 die
1991 Rob Pilatus, 27, of Milli-Vanilli attempts suicide
1996 Some 150,000 people filled the streets of Belgrade to protest Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.
1999 The opening of a 135-nation trade gathering in Seattle was disrupted by at least 40,000 demonstrators, some of whom clashed with police.
2000 Al Gore's lawyers battled for his political survival in the Florida and U.S. supreme courts; meanwhile, GOP lawmakers in Tallahassee moved to award the presidency to George W. Bush in case the courts did not by appointing their own slate of electors.

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Barbados : Independence Day (1966)
Benin : National Day
Iran : Qadir Khom Festival
Philippines : Bonifacio Day/Heroes' Day (1863)
Upper Volta : Youth Day.
Yemen PDR : Independence Day (1967)
US : Travelers With Disabilities Awareness Week Begins
US : Stay Home Because You're Well Day
International Creative Child & Adult Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Advent-start of church year (4 Sundays till Christmas)
Protestant : Bible Sunday
RC, Luth, Ang-NZ : Feast of St Andrews Day, patron of Scotland

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Religious History
1215 The Fourth Lateran Council closed, under Innocent III. It was this council that made first official use of the term "transubstantiation," with reference to the Eucharist (Lord's Supper).
1530 German reformer Martin Luther remarked: 'Whenever I happen to be prevented by the press of duties from observing my hour of prayer, the entire day is bad for me.'
1554 Roman Catholicism was (briefly) restored to England, under the reign of Mary Tudor, the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. In the process, "Bloody Mary" had Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and nearly 300 other Protestant leaders burned at the stake.
1729 Birth of Samuel Seabury, first bishop of the American Protestant Episcopal Church. (Following the American Revolution, Seabury helped formulate the constitution which made the American Protestant Episcopal Church independent and autonomous from the Church of England.)
1894 In Naperville, Illinois, seven groups of the Evangelical Association withdrew from the organization to form the United Evangelical Church. (In 1922 the two denominations reunited.)

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch."

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Question of the day...
What was the best thing before sliced bread?

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Murphys law of the day...
Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.

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Little known fact #981...
Seoul, the South Korean capital, just means "the capital" in the Korean language.

[Radix]

1667 Jonathan Swift Engl, satirist (Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal)

 

”I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled ...”

 

 

[Radix]

1835 Samuel Clemens [Mark Twain], author (Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn)

 

[Radix]

1031 Davey Jones rocker (Monkees-Daydream Believer, Last Train To Clarksville, I'm A Believer)

 

 

They say that he had a baby face, but that is ridiculous!

[Soaring Feather]

[Hondo1952]

Happy birthday to my Mom Wife of a soldier for 27 years. Mom of a soldier for 24 years.

Happy 17th birthday to my son Freddie Lee, III. Soon to break with family tradition and become an Air Force ROTC cadet.

Happy birthday to THE all time Auburn Tiger, Bo Jackson. Thanks for the memories Bo.

Happy birthday to Mr G. Gordon Liddy, a Great American. Thank you Mr Liddy.

[Fawnn]

LindaSOG!!! #50!!!