A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....08-09-04 ....Military Monday

Billie, The Mayor

[The Mayor]

A Few of FR's Finest
....Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I could no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I had been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that didn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why we've created a place for just that. This is a friendly room in JimRob's house where FReeper FRiends can gather every day and just say hello if that's all they want to do.

There's more of course. We sometimes feature different FReepers, with a little background information on who they are and what makes them who they are, along with a few photos you might not have seen on other threads; sometimes others write an essay for us to post as the feature for the day; sometimes our presentation is a human interest story found elsewhere that you might not have read; sometimes special holiday threads; but whatever the topic of the day, it is always with FR's Finest in mind and that is YOU!

If you would like to be featured, or would like to see someone else featured, please send me a private FR mail.

Every Monday we will post the photos of FR's Military Personnel that I have collected and put into groups; these will be available to view through a link the remainder of the week - every day just a click away. :)   If you would like to add a photo of yourself or a loved one in the military, past or present, please let me know; I will hold it until I have enough for a new group.

Thank you, and please have fun with us...every day! ~ Billie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You For Serving Our Country!

TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete
MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub
BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet
MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga
BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette
MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid
BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP
MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian
BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, The Mayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

TOP:  Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog.
MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son.
BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

TOP:  dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon.
BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

TOP:  ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband
poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son;
BOTTOM:  AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset);
WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

TOP: Mo1's dad; BuffyT's Uncle (right, w/ her dad & grandmother); Armymarinemom's 3 sons.
MIDDLE: ru4Liberty's dad; SheLion's husband, MaineRebel; wirestripper.
BOTTOM: fivetoes; bigghurtt; hurricane; ladtx' dad; Pippin's brother.

TOP: Repubmommy's brother, Rose in RoseBear's uncle, BoxerBlues' son Chris, BoxerBlues' son Brent.
BOTTOM: Rose in RoseBear's cousin's hubby, Deadhead's stepdad, Dansy's dad, Misty's brother.

                     

THE WEEKEND THREAD 08-06 thru 8-08-04... Week in Review ^

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Pippin]

HOWDY!

[Billie]

Good morning, Finest FReepers! Thank you once again for another great way to start the 'work week'! God Bless Our Military! God Bless Our Leaders! God Bless America!

And to the Kerry/DNC Band of Liars/Losers/Lawyers.

[firebrand]

Some enlisted guys stopped by our Bush table on Saturday near Madison Square Garden and bought a bunch of stuff. All the "Support the Troops" buttons were sold out, so it became my privilege to give mine away (beautiful multicolored one bought at a souvenir shop on Fifth Avenue). They were so wonderful. Very young. Tough tough tough but with hearts of gold.

[Mo1]

Afternoon Billie ... hope all is well

[MEG33]

Thank you for supporting our President and our troops!

[Aquamarine]

Welcome back Dave, hope you all had a pleasant trip.

There's alot of info on those Swiftie threads and it's still leaking out.

[Aquamarine]

Hi Billie, will be sending you a FReepmail about a change in Thursday's topic.

[Temple Owl]

Welcome back! Hope you had a grand vacation. Let's support the Swiftees. Keep asking Kerry to produce his records.

[Diver Dave]

Me thinks Kerry's Swift Boat has begun taking on water and is slowly sinking in the quagmire he and his DNC comrades have created.

A little poetic justice perhaps?

[LadyX]

~ ~ ~ God, Please Bless Our Military Men and Women ~ ~ ~

" I had to giggle at the exchange between Texasgirl and LadyX. Roaring bionic women! Hahaha "

WHAAAAT ???!!
Thou doubtest that The LadyX has been transformed?

Consider that from this "meek, mild mannered U.S. Marine" at age 18:

(Bottom, 2nd from right - Pfc. M. C. Daugherty)

LadyX was changed into both and

and even this:

You never know which one will lurk behind the keyboard
on The Other Side of your monitor..:))

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Hanoi Kerry spent 132 days in Vietnam
He spent 730 days trashing our sons, husbands, brothers, uncles and cousins
as baby killers and rapists, along with his best bud Hanoi Jane.


John Kerry : "war hero" or a "war criminal"

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1186991/posts

Answer the question Kerry!

Did you lie about your "heroics" or the "war crimes"?

Can't have it both ways!

RELEASE ALL YOUR MILITARY RECORDS

Request Copies of Military Personnel Records
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/vetrecs/index.html

Kerry Promises To Release All Military Records
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040421-121056-7919r.htm

Kerry Reneges on Promise to Release Military Records
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/4/20/171506.shtml

INCLUDING YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS
THAT INCLUDE THE TREATMENT
FOR THE 3 PURPLE HEARTS.

BEFORE NOV 2nd!

(Bush never said he had all his military records
BUT you did.)

Unless you are hiding something?

Are you?

It's now Aug, where are ALL the records that were promised in April?

PS A "summary" is NOT what you promised.

WASHINGTON, April 21 /U.S. Newswire/ --
The Kerry Campaign announced today that online at
http://www.johnkerry.com
are the official Naval records and the after-action combat reports
that are part of the public record at the Naval Historical Center,
Operational Archives Branch in Washington, DC.

What follows is a summary list of the pages on the website
and a summary of the after-action combat reports.

The direct address for the official Naval records is:

http://www.johnkerry.com/about/military_records.html

[Darksheare]

"Roaring bionic women!"

They forgot SMILING in there..

[LadyX]

Looking at that old photograph at Parris Island, I still shudder at those horrible cotton lisle stockings we had to wear, and the green and white striped seersucker uniforms.

We did all our laundry by hand then in NO A/C buildings - large open-windowed laundry room with big tubs.
Then had to literally cook starch (before spray starch) and use on the uniforms (including fatigues) after washing and rinsing (hand wrung out) - dry them - sprinkle them with water and roll them up in towels - and then could iron them "to perfection!"

The skirt on that uniform *had* to be so stiff it would stand up alone on its hem...and within 5 minutes of being worn, was already wrinkled..:(

That year, they came out with wonderful Dacron fabric ones that were easy to iron - but were terribly hot.

Count your blessings, any of you "youngers"..:))

[Gabz]

Good Grief - now that's a story!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for sharing the story and the pix (and this thread)

[LadyX]

You're a reminder of another part of my past, Gabz, living where I was part of the Navy and bore my second son..:))

Laughing now, at least I didn't have to have him in a cabin -
or wash my things in a creek like a lot of pioneer women
crossing the mountains and plains to live in the West.

"Back Then," if my arm had been that badly broken:

- I could no longer haul water or wash and wring things
- would have had a hard time making bread and cooking in general, sewing, etc. with one arm plus a useless one
- couldn't easily lift my children

Count blessings indeed!
Had a taste of it last year when I couldn't use my arm for about 5 months, unable to touch my body with it, or even reach my head to comb my hair.

[Gabz]

The wonders of modern technology.............

You're a better woman than I, I don't see how I could last 5 months without the use of one arm.

I dislocated either my collar bone or shoulder while shovelling snow last year, but didn't know it for months.......I just went through life in pain, functioning as best I could ....which was a great deal of fun when packing to move. I was kneading at my shoulder one day, after having just loaded and unloaded a van full of boxes and POP......within the hour there was no more pain.

[Kitty Mittens]

...I couldn't use my arm for about five months...

That would have been awful! If that happened to me, I'm thinkin' of all the mowing I'd have to catch up on at the Ranch; I can barely keep it all done, now! And my long hair would turn into a ball of knots and tangles! Yikes! And the housework!

You probably went through that "adventure" better than I would, my Lady!

[Lakeside]

LadyMaggie, you are a treasure! Believe me I AM counting my blessings.

Now I'm not as old as Methuselah, just almost. I too remember cooking starch. Although we had a washing machine I helped my mom do the starch thing with ALL the family's clothes.

I was a sickly kid (count blessing #1; if I had been born "Back Then" I would most certainly have died in childhood. but I digress...) but even though my mom believed everyone should have a chore to do. Mine was helping with the starching and ironing. I couldn't do a whole lot but I *could* iron! Mom was one smart cookie 'cause having said chore kept me from feeling useless.

Anyway, my dad wore 6 white cotton shirts every week to work. That's right, it was my job to make sure they could stand up by themselves after I starched & ironed them! If I couldn't get to them right away the sprinkled and rolled up shirts went in the refrigerator so they wouldn't 'sour' in the meantime!

When Dacron and spray starch came out I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!

[LadyX]

"And my long hair would turn into a ball of knots and tangles! Yikes! And the housework!"

That was the fun part (sez she with tight smile) - had to have my husband for the very first time in his life wash and set in curlers a woman's hair!!
No trouble with tangles, my hair very fine, but he had NO CONCEPT of how rolling affected the outcome.
He finally learned to "OBEY!" the assorted "Hold it THIS way or THAT way" - "Under, not over" instructions.

After two shampoos, I took over that part, doing it with one hand, and then let him set it. It was a harrowing 5 months before I could get the right hand up to clamp the holding piece over the curlers, and discharged him from his duties..:))

Housework? His one household chore (disabled heart patient with COPD; 2 spinal surgeries) is doing all the dishes, and added to that was taking the garbage out to the can. He also had to temporarily take over writing all the checks and paying the bills, and doing all the driving.

I did fine with laundry and things with one arm, and as for the rest, kinda looked the other way, with no choice.
Never will catch up, but SO WHAT??!!
Life is a series of challenges to meet one at a time, and being known as "An Obsessed Housekeeper" is way down on my list of things to accomplish in life...

Regular Finest Folks will attest that it did not keep me from communicating for more than one day..:))
Priority # One was to keep the words flowing!

Not that I'll have a tombstone, but if I did, it never would have said on it, "She loved to clean" - LOL
Rather have it say "She loved to interact with good persons - -"

[LadyX]

"When Dacron and spray starch came out I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!"

Add to that the better polyester fabrics that succeeded Dacron, and STEAM IRONS!!
What an improvement that was, ironing faster and allowing you to 'sprinkle' accidentally wrinkled spots.

After retiring from outside work, however, most fabrics I have are wash and wear, or require minimal touchup.
I also do not bother to iron t-shirts if I'm staying home or working in the yard..:))