1 posted on 04/26/2004 5:13:02 AM PDT by The Mayor

To: Jim Robinson; ST.LOUIE1; Aquamarine; Billie; dansangel; dutchess; Mama_Bear; FreeTheHostages; ...

Thankyou for working so hard to get us back on line

No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. —Hebrews 12:11.

We shrink from the purging and pruning,
Forgetting the Gardener who knows:
The deeper the cutting and paring
The richer the cluster that grows.

God uses setbacks to move us forward.

2 posted on 04/26/2004 5:14:55 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

To: The Mayor; John Robinson; Tami

I just sat here and held down my chair. John and Tami did all the work. Thank you John and Tami!!

3 posted on 04/26/2004 5:19:03 AM PDT by Jim Robinson

To: Jim Robinson

Thankyou John and Tami !

It is incredible the dedication. God Bless!

4 posted on 04/26/2004 5:20:43 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

Military Monday Bump!!

5 posted on 04/26/2004 5:20:54 AM PDT by MoJo2001 (Thank you to our Veterans and Active Duty For Our Freedom!)

6 posted on 04/26/2004 5:21:53 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

To: ST.LOUIE1; Aquamarine; Billie; dansangel; dutchess; Mama_Bear; FreeTheHostages; .45MAN; Aeronaut; ..

105th makes it home
Military police unit ends 15 months of duty

Eric Wilson and fiancee Jessica Brys embrace amid a sea of humanity that was the 105th's homecoming.

Staff Sgt. Michael S. Hoffman basks in a round of smiles with his wife, Sue, and daughter, Kaylin,
during their reunion at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Base. The Hoffmans live in Amherst.

Kelly McMillin, the widow of Sgt. Heath A. McMillin, was on hand for Saturday's
homecoming at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Base.

Sergeant Heath McMillin
He was killed in an attack July 27th while on patrol south of Baghdad.

NIAGARA FALLS - A single, fiercely uttered word brought joy and relief to a lot of people here Saturday.

"Dismissed!" Capt. Michael Fowler roared to the Army National Guard's 105th Military Police Company.

A brief ceremony at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station brought an end to a grueling 15-month deployment in the Iraq War that killed two members, wounded several others and tested the company's readiness in battle more than 60 times. "The soldiers standing before you today are truly heroes. They have sweated together, fought together and at times bled together for the past year," Fowler told an estimated 2,000 relatives and friends who gathered to welcome home their loved ones.

But before the hoopla started, the 120 soldiers remained on the tarmac beside the three jets that had carried them home and paid special tribute to the widow of 29-year-old Sgt. Heath A. McMillin. Kelly McMillin, 31, of Canandaigua, accepted the condolences of the soldiers as each presented her with a red, white or blue carnation.

"I'm just glad they're home, but obviously I wish I was standing behind the yellow line with the others," McMillin said, moments after the noon tribute.

Carolyn Williams, the widow of Spc. Michael L. Williams, 46, was unable to attend, so the 105th arranged to deliver two dozen long-stemmed white roses to her Buffalo home.

"Some days are harder than others, and obviously today is one of those days. But Heath would have done it all again the same way," Kelly McMillin said of her husband's dedication to the country.

After a short march beneath a makeshift "arch of triumph" - the extended aerial ladders of two fire trucks tethered to a massive American flag that waved in the wind - the soldiers entered a sprawling airplane hangar to the patriotic tunes of an 11-piece military band.

"Today is a day of thanksgiving. The 105th is home. Mission accomplished," said Col. Michael Swezey, head of the 53rd Troop Command, which encompasses the 105th.

Rest of the story here.

7 posted on 04/26/2004 5:34:38 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

Western New York pictures of Pride

Our Western New Yorkers serving..

8 posted on 04/26/2004 5:48:26 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

ooops, that link is bad, here is the right one.. Western New York pictures of Pride

Our Western New Yorkers serving..

9 posted on 04/26/2004 5:50:39 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

» Native Western New Yorkers of the Marine Corps 2nd Tank Battalion pose with a Bills flag
in Northern Baghdad shortly after US Troops captured the Iraqi Capital. » April 2003

10 posted on 04/26/2004 5:51:50 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

Good morning Mayor! We got back yesterday from the Nashville marathon weekend. Had a great time but was too tired to do much FReeping yesterday. I got up early this morning to catch up and to my dismay---FR was down! FR withdrawal can be a terrible thing and I was in the throes of it this a.m. having not been here since Wed.

Happily the long suffering,diligent Jim, John, and Tami saved the day yet once again! Thanks for all the time and work you guys put in so we can have this forum.

Hope all is well with you,Mayor--and all the rest of FR's Finest. Love you guys! Have a great Military Monday everyone!

11 posted on 04/26/2004 5:52:28 AM PDT by Lakeside

To: ST.LOUIE1; Aquamarine; Billie; dansangel; dutchess; Mama_Bear; FreeTheHostages; .45MAN; Aeronaut; ..

April 26, 2004

Pain And Gain

Read: Hebrews 12:1-11

No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. —Hebrews 12:11.

Bible In One Year: 2 Samuel 23-24; Luke 19:1-27

Years ago I was an extremely anxious Christian. When I began spiraling downward emotionally, God didn't intervene, for He knew I needed to reach the end of myself. When I finally hit rock bottom, the "rock" on which I fell was Jesus Christ.

The Lord immediately began rebuilding me, applying truths from His Word to teach me trust and faith. Gradually He changed me into the joyful, God-dependent person He intended me to be. Through this painful but profitable experience, I learned that when God disciplines us, our greatest gain isn't what we get but what we become.

In Hebrews 12, we read that our heavenly Father loves us too dearly to let us remain immature. Like any loving father, He disciplines, corrects, and trains us—often through difficult situations. God uses our times of struggle to help us grow and make us more holy (vv.10-11).

Many people are motivated to live for health, wealth, and ease, and they try to avoid pain at all costs. But the abundant life that God intends for His people isn't trouble-free. Growth and change are often unsettling, but the gain is worth the pain. —Joanie Yoder

We shrink from the purging and pruning,
Forgetting the Gardener who knows:
The deeper the cutting and paring
The richer the cluster that grows. —Anon.

God uses setbacks to move us forward.

12 posted on 04/26/2004 5:55:53 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

Good morning Mr. Mayor.

13 posted on 04/26/2004 5:56:11 AM PDT by Aeronaut (The proper response to gay marriage is laughter.)

Good morning Mr. Aeronaut

14 posted on 04/26/2004 5:59:55 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

» WBEN helps Western New York welcome home the heroes from the 914th Air Division at Niagara Falls Air Force Base.

15 posted on 04/26/2004 6:03:43 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

Good morning The Mayor. Great job on bringing us the story of the 105th making it home.

16 posted on 04/26/2004 6:12:36 AM PDT by Aquamarine

17 posted on 04/26/2004 6:15:37 AM PDT by FreeTheHostages

To: The Mayor; Billie; Mama_Bear; dansangel; dutchess; Aquamarine; SpookBrat; LadyX; nicmarlo; ...

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Monday !
FR is finally back up !

18 posted on 04/26/2004 6:16:54 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (The Democrats say they believe in CHOICE. I have chosen to vote STRAIGHT TICKET GOP for years!)

Thanks Aqua, wish I could have been there....

19 posted on 04/26/2004 6:19:26 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

To: FreeTheHostages

Morning Free !

That's cute, be good for something. I try.

20 posted on 04/26/2004 6:21:14 AM PDT by The Mayor (The more you love God, the more you hate sin.)

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