Posted on 09/29/2004 7:41:48 AM PDT by Old Sarge
Dear FRiends:
Many of you who inhabit this virtual home of ours, know me by reputation, and a few personally. I am so proud to be counted among your ranks, and numbered among your company. We laugh, we cheer, we argue, we fight, we weep, we support, and we live, all in this place we call home. And all who do know me, know that my greatest wish is to serve this nation of ours in uniform.
That opportunity has arisen once again, as I return to Active Duty once more. This time, though, the mission is something unique to my experience, something I have never done in twenty-plus years of Active, Reserve and National Guard service. For as of next month, I shall become… a Recruiter.
Yes, you heard it. I shall shortly become one of those intrepid souls who venture out into the countryside, into the schools, the marketplaces, the state and county fairs, and anywhere else that citizens gather, to bring to them the virtues and distinctiveness of military life.
Now, I am going to confess something, here. I know that I shall be bringing to the job a very unique set of skills and experiences. I know that usually the older recruiters have an advantage over younger troops in the job, because they’ve seen and done so much more. That would be true, if this were a parallel universe.
This is a nation at war. A war that is not only on the battlefields, but also in the minds and hearts of its’ own citizens. Young folks today are technologically savvy, have better access to more data, and their innate distrust of adults has been hardened by focus-group-tested ads. In short, I shall be playing to a very hostile audience, which has been fed the bitter food of a poisoned ideology.
And this is where you, each of you, come in. As I begin this mission, I am recognizing that I must be better informed than anyone else, more than ever before, about more issues than I gave myself time to consider. And there is no better place to find these things, as I tell my soldiers who ask me, than Free Republic.
I need links, Web pages, facts and evidence, for the questions and sound bites that will be cast upon me. Young people have issues that matter to them: jobs, education, the “draft”, to name a few. I don’t doubt there are others; I need those, as well.
So, consider this an open appeal to my Pajama Patriot comrades. Help me to prepare for these upcoming debates. Arm me with fact and truth. Equip me with the data, debunked or confirmed, to do one sincere thing: to help me articulate what I might not otherwise say clearly, that their nation, this mightiest and best of nations, is worth their support and their service, and that there is no more honorable and noble title than United States Service Member.
Vigilantly Yours,
OLD SARGE
Oh, I'm so already there! (G)
See you there!
God Bless you!
It looks like I'm going to do it again tommorow as well.
I run my own business out of my garage and a lot of the local retirees have taken up hanging out here. A lot of these guys are WWII vets and they are all over the idea. They have donated allmost 70 dollars since yesterday.
Our soldiers don't make much money. Saving them the cost of a meal may mean that their child gets a pair of shoes.
But it's so much more than that. Right after 9/11, my husband met me at a restaurant to eat a quick dinner with our kids. He was still in uniform, because he could only stay a few minutes and had to leave to meet with a group of recruits. (He never eats out at a restaurant in his uniform, this was a rare exception.) Right after we ordered, our waitress told us that our entire meal was being paid for by a man a few tables over. My husband walked over to thank him, and the man said, "No, thank you...and your family...for your sacrifices." I wanted to cry. While you generally know that our military is supported by most citizens, there's nothing like having someone personally point out your efforts and then express appreciation. So, it's not just pizza...it's appreciation in a square box, and I'm thinking it will mean quite a bit to those who receive it.
Thank you for your service to our country...past and future.
Please add me to your ping list.
Dittitos
Any need for 55 YOA former 71Q20's?
Only been out of the army since '72, but I did do a 20 stint as a Detective. (PS I don't need waiver from a spouse.) Give me shout
I'd go tomorrow. My spouse understands.
Any questions on Ft Huachuca, MI AIT, 11th Signal Brigade just ask and I'll try as hard as I can to get you the info.
Listen, a million people have probably told you this already, but there's one source that towers above all others for cutting through the BS that young people are fed. It is David Horowitz's Frontpage Mag.org You should visit this site every day. In the battle for the hearts and minds of college kids, this page is the front lines.
Godspeed, my FRiend.
Missed this til now.
If i find anything good, I'll toss it your way!
Best of Luck, Sarge and THANK YOU for your service to our country!
I'm sure you'll do well.
I echo all your other well wishers on the important work you do for our nation and world.
Here is a poem that I always share and you probably already know it but just in case you haven't seen it:
It Has Always Been The Soldier
It is the soldier,
not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier,
not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier,
not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier,
who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag and
whose coffin is draped by the flag,
This poem has been credited to the following:
~ Father Dennis Edward O'Brien ~
Hooah!
I missed this..God bless you Sarge!..Thank you for serving our country!
Thank you for your service
You will be working with folks who have no sense of American history, or if they do, they will not have the truth. This may be a good place to start, but I don't have a good book to recommend on that. Perhaps a student of history could provide an example? Keep us posted on what you get hit up with, and we'll try to hook you up with information to guard you with.
Best wishes to you. May you find the best and the brave.
Here is my suggestion. I believe this sums up the challenge we face today:
Dear Young Men and Women of America,
Today the world faces a threat like never before. A global network of well financed terrorists who publicly state their desire to destroy America and our way of life. They will stop at nothing, repeat nothing, to achieve that goal. That includes the use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons against civilians here in the USA. Against your families and mine.
Our choice is simple; we either hunt the terrorists down in all corners of the world and destroy them NOW, or they will continue to gather strength and money and weapons and bring the horrors of their war to all the innocent civilians of the USA right here at home.
We need our very best men and women for this task. It's a matter of life or death for our nation. We need you.
Go get 'em. Salute.
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