[Stashiu]

Blessings to you and your family....and thank you for your service.

My stepmother's family narrowly escaped the pogroms in Latvia around the turn of the century. They literally left with their clothes on their backs. Sold everything to buy the passage to America. He started selling newspapers on the street corner here, eventually a newsstand, and then a storefront. He did very well. He became prominent in one of the local synagogues (Shaari Shomayim). Never had a government hand out to get ahead. Just hard, consistent work and a good head on his shoulders.

Our family was an incredible and interesting mix of British, Syrian, Latvian, Russian, and Swedish immigrants, all came here about the same time (1900 or so). We married into several faiths, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Church of England, etc. We loved to tell ethnic/religious jokes about ourselves. As I kid, it was great. There seemed to be a holiday of some sort every month. What we had in common, is that we were all AMERICANS. Most all of the men served in the military for WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. We left our homelands for a good reason: to come here to be AMERICANS.

God Bless America!

[TheBigB]

Has he started yet? What's hap'nin'?

[OldFriend]

Amen to the G-D Bless America!

Sounds like your family figured out what it took to REALLY become Americans.

Wonderfully lucky for you and yours!!!