Posted on 02/17/2005 4:53:37 AM PST by tsmith130
Edited on 02/17/2005 5:18:32 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Mod note: One for the troops! Bumped to BN for more exposure.
(AgapePress) - Rick from Winona, Mississippi, called my state-wide talk radio program this week. Sometimes, you get a phone call that ought to be read in the broader market.
On the program that day we were discussing the report that some Europeans were disgusted with the Super Bowl commercial of American soldiers getting applause in an airport. The critics thought it too extreme in its patriotism and a possible incitement to further war.
At any rate, Rick (he asked us not to use his full name) called to talk about his experience coming back recently from the fields of war. His words (and they are worth your time reading, only lightly edited):
"I heard you talking about the Super Bowl commercial. I'm a Marine, a re-con Marine. I just got back from overseas, the second week of December, actually. I was injured overseas, so that's why I'm home now.
"But the whole time I was [there, in recovery] we watched the news to see what's going on. And we saw the protests, and we saw what the media was saying about what's going on, and we were worried about what we were actually going to face when we came home. We didn't know what to expect, to be honest with you. From the news media we were seeing, the whole country was basically telling us we're a bunch of jerks.
"I thank God that the troops that are there don't see the news coverage. I thank God every day, because there'd be ten times the number getting killed, just because it would so un-motivate [sic] them.
"Back to the story: there were seven other soldiers that came home with me that day. We flew into JFK, and we were talking on the way back: What's going to happen? What will we be facing? Is it going to be like the Vietnam era, are there going to be people spitting at us?
"We didn't know. We had that much trepidation about it.
"We get into JFK, we step out of the breezeway into the main terminal, and directly in front of us was an elderly gentleman carrying a bag. And he immediately stopped, set his bag down, and the first thing we all thought was, 'Oh, Lord, here we go already.' He just stopped and looked at us for a second, and then tears came to his eyes and he saluted us.
"And -- I'm breaking up now [editor's note: with tears] -- every one of us just started crying like babies. Everybody in the terminal -- I kid you not, at least two to three hundred people -- just started clapping, spontaneously. To me, it was so much worth what we were doing, to realize that people over here actually get what we were doing. We weren't over there because it's fun. We're over there doing a job.
"When I saw the Super Bowl commercial, I just started bawling like a baby again because that was something totally unexpected. We had no idea that people actually appreciated what we're doing, from what we see on the news. We thought we were going to come back and get eggs thrown at us. It was so refreshing to know that what we were seeing on the news is just a bunch of garbage that's being concocted by the media, that 99.9 percent of the country doesn't believe that way.
"I have a couple of more months of recovery. I got hit with a concussion and have some internal damage, but I'm feeling up, doing well, and hopefully I can get back over there with my boys."
It caused some tears in this talk show host's eyes to know there were tears in his. Appreciation, smiles, handclaps -- they can go a long way when a nation is at war, regardless of what the media and some Europeans might think.
Matt Friedeman (mfriedeman@wbs.edu) is a professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary. Respond to this column at his blog at "In the Fight."
Yes I know it was done simply out of ignorance, but I do get tired of ignorance from "news" reporters.
It's not always ignorance or intended slight. The spellchecker on the computers we used at the office at the daily newsrag where I was a syndicated columnist for half a decade was beyond infuriating.
Aside from the fact that it wasn't supposed to correct proper nouns/ names- anything with an uppercase first letter- it frequently did so, and auto-corrected them, to include the name of our neighboring county seat, Vincennes, which ALWAYS was *fixed* to *Vincents*.
I suspect something similar hit the text of the story repeated above, though you'd be amazed at some of the things some of our summer interns [formerly known as *cub reporters*] managed to crank out.
Sin-ator Kennedy, you are a lying sack of s___t! This is not another Vietnam.
What a wonderful story..Thank you for sharing!
Why?
It's not working. I just came back from a backfill TDY, and leave next month for another TDY, and then, AEF.
I'm volunteering for these assignments. I'm reserve. I don't have to go (except AEF, and then there are ways out).
My dream goal is to be in-country with my son-in-law at the same time, and get to work with him over there. He's awesome.
/john
Thank you for serving our country.
I serve for the 22 year old, single guy that lives in the barracks, and works midshift on the flightline, far away from home. He works late, in the weather. On aircraft that are dangerous just to work around. His job is tough, nasty, and sometimes soaks him in jet fuel or other nasty stuff. And he never complains (much).
I'm there to make sure that he has a good (damn good) meal, an NCO that listens, a friendly face, a question about his home state team, an answer about promotions, a good start (or if he's pissy, a good re-start) to his day.
I love those kids, and what they do. They are heros.
I'm honored to be allowed to serve them.
/john
Thank God for those who back up and support the ones who are at the tip of the spear.
i don't get off work until 1:30 am but i rush home to see the last 1/4 replay of H&C. when those two POS scum sucking human waste losers were on i woke my wife up screaming at the TV.
how embarssing they portend to be part of the human race.
bttt
I got shivers when I saw the ad. All I could say was "that shows real class!".
It is many Europeans who have no class.
THANKS, tsmith!
I cried when I saw the SuperBowl ad, and cried again when I read this article.
But not as much as I cried when our son came home in uniform to the cheers and applause of their families.
These are brave, brave, souls, and should receive all the accolades they have earned!
BTTT
Thanks for sharing your story. I don't think you can hear enough of these stories. I try to always make it a point to go over and say thank you to any military personnel I see at the airports.
Ah, that would be CNN, now wouldn't it?
Good Point WB,"I believe it's the deliberate intention of the media to discourage our military."I agree 100%,but i'd like to add that the intention of the media is to discourage our military AND the American public.
Here is a link to more support of our military in Sacramento with some great pictures:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1346118/posts
Soldier Hanged in Effigy Prompts "Support the Troop" Candlelight Vigil - THE PICTURES
Move America Forward ^ | 02/18/2005 | Melanie Morgan - Move America Forward
Posted on 02/18/2005 9:51:12 AM PST by Impeach98
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1346118/posts
"Support Our Troops"
Candlelight Vigil
"And now I'm crying too."
Well, keep the hanky out.
A TRIBUTE TO OUR TROOPS.
http://www.itsvideos.com/viewmedia796.html
Robowombat, this is for you.
http://www.itsvideos.com/viewmedia796.html
Ten months ago my daughter was returning from 11 months deployment in Iraq. They had a layover in Atlanta, where people in the airports paid for their dinners and bought them drinks.
Just last month I ran across a young Marine out of Camp Pendleton treating his young lady to lunch at Knotts Berry Farm. I stopped, introduced myself and expressed how much his choice and his committment are appreciated. Later I saw that others in my group did the same thing. Now I'm sorry I didn't pay for his lunch on my way out...Next time. Never forget these young people...
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