QUOTE OF THE DAY
President Bush Attends Naturalization Ceremony
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Washington, D.C.
Through the generations, our nation has remained strong and free because men and women put on our uniform and defend this country, and defend our beliefs. The three men we honor today have brought honor to America. Like those who have come before, each of these men chose to protect our country because they love what America stands for.
Army Specialist Sergio Lopez had always wanted to join the Army, and in 2003, he volunteered. After basic training he moved to Fort Hood, Texas, home of the 1st Cavalry Division and the 4th Infantry Division. Specialist Lopez then deployed to Iraq. He put his life on the line each day, driving between observation posts and his unit's forward operating base in the Baghdad area. In January, he was injured by an improvised explosive device.
Specialist Lopez says that becoming a citizen, "represents being acknowledged as having done my duty, having done my part for the country, like the oath says, defending the United States."
Today, we honor Army Private First Class Eduardo Leal-Cardenas. He was injured when an IED blew up his vehicle in Iraq. Private Leal-Cardenas is a man of few words, and he's a man of action. When some questioned whether he would ever walk again, he laughed, and he began his rehab while still in his bed. When Private Leal-Cardenas is asked what citizenship in America means to him, he just said one word: Freedom.
And finally, we honor Army Specialist Lito Santos-Dilone. He was injured while serving as part of the protection detail in Iraq. I first met Specialist Santos-Dilone at this year's National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. I was working the rope line. He grabbed my hand, and he said, "I'm not a citizen of the United States and I want to be one." Now, here's a man who knows how to take it directly to the top. (Laughter.) I'm proud to be here when he gets sworn in.
We are stronger and more dynamic when we welcome new citizens like these. More than 33,000 non-U.S. citizens currently serve in our military. Isn't that interesting -- 33,000 people who weren't born here serve in our military. And just like everybody else who wears the uniform, they understand the stakes of what it means to serve in the United States military, particularly after September the 11th, 2001.
PHOTOS OF THE DAY
President George W. Bush recites the Pledge of Allegiance Monday, July 24, 2006, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., joining newly sworn-in American citizens, Specialist Sergio Lopez, 24, of Bowlingbrook, Ill., left, Specialist Noe Santos-Dilone of Brooklyn, N.Y., center, and Private First Class Eduardo Leal-Cardenas of Los Angeles, Calif., during their naturalization ceremony. White House photo by Eric Draper
President George W. Bush shakes hands with newly sworn-in American citizens, Specialist Sergio Lopez, 24, of Bowlingbrook, Ill., left, Specialist Noe Santos-Dilone of Brooklyn, N.Y., center, and Private First Class Eduardo Leal-Cardenas of Los Angeles, Calif., during their naturalization ceremony Monday, July 24, 2006, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. White House photo by Eric Draper
Dose going up please wait for the all clear before posting or reposting any photos or graphics
:)
President Bush waves as he boards Marine One, Friday July 21, 2006, in Waco, Texas as he departs to spend part of the weekend at his nearby Crawford, Texas ranch
President George W. Bush looks over towards photographers as he walks up the steps of Air Force One for the trip back to Washington, DC, after spending part of the weekend at his Crawford, Texas, Ranch
President Bush heads to the Oval Office, Sunday, July 23, 2006, in Washington
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal (L), U.S. President George W. Bush and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (R) smile at the beginning of their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington July 23, 2006
Just glad to be in the top 50!
Howdy snugs, Thanks for the "Dose"
Please remember the following members of the military and their families/friends in prayer:
~ WomanofStandard .. a dear friend's sons, Troy (Air Force) in Italy and Tyler (Army) at Ft. Bragg, NC
~ leenie312 .. son Nicholas is in the Marines
~ rintense . . friend's brother, Brian Z.
.. friend, Matt (who is a Freeper), deployed to the Mid-East
~ AF_Blue .. active-duty AF
~ fc2tomschermuly (Navy) he is a FReeper, as is his sister (mjaneangels@aolcom) and their father is a lurker
~ EuroFrog .. husband, SSG Mike, deployed to Kuwait
.. SSG Kris, friend of SSG Mike in Kuwait
~ annyokie .. son, Ian (Navy)
~ azGOPgals friends friend, Jeremy who is in the 10th Mountain Division
~ FresnoArmyBrat .. a cousin
~ Jim Robinson .. two nephews
~ tinacart .. best friend's son, Cody - 4th Infantry
~ bigghurtt .. 5 years in the Army, soon-to-be Special Forces
~ JulieRNR21 ..... friend Betty's grandson, Matt, in US Army
~ ladyinred .. Josh, newly deployed to Iraq
.. Also, Josh's sister Pamela
.. their mother now has 2 children over there and one who has just returned home
~ ntnychik .. the members of the 10th Mountain Division (which will be in Iraq for the long haul) and their families
~ Pan_Yan & Pan_Yans Wife .. friend, Mike, stateside now but expects to go back to Iraq in late winter
~ hoosier_RW_conspirator .. son Jake
~ Jaguar Girl .. nephew Jimmy is serving in the Air Force
~ Kewlhand Tek, a FReeper, is currently serving in Iraq
~ St.Mark .. nephew, somewhere between Syria and Fallujha (Marines); and son, in Twentynine Palms CA in training (Marines)
~ savagesusie .. son Cory is in Afghanistan
~ Militiaman7 ..... son, Jonathan, who is a FReeper, is in Afghanistan with the Virginia Army National Guard.
~ jonsie .. son Ryan has been in Iraq as a medic with 1st Cav since Sept. 2003, he is now guarding the green zone
~ elder5 .. brother-in-law W0-2 Brian F., Army Reserve Chopper pilot, on his 2nd tour in Iraq
~ Kate of Spice Island .. son has been sworn in as a Marine Reserve in the delayed entry program as he finishes up high school
~ Don'tMessWithTexas .. 2 brothers-in-law in the service
.. a Lt.Cmdr in US Navy deployed in Guam
.. a Major in US Army deployed in the Sunni Triangle outside Baghdad.
~ Texas Princess .. nephew Roland, (Air Force), currently stationed in Korea
~ an anonymous FReeper .. son, Stephen (Army), in Baghdad
~ Kentucky .. has a request for prayer from a Marine Mom whose son, Ramsey, is in Iraq
~ snowtigger .. Peter, 1/24 INF (he drives a Stryker armored vehicle) .. just shipped out to Mosul
~ homemom .. Kelsey, a young lady now serving in Iraq
~ mamaduck .. cousin, Carl, is a Sargeant Major stationed in FL right now and will deployed to Iraq after the new year
..niece, Melissa, is in the AirForce, currently stationed in GA
~ Blue Scourge .. a Freeper (Air Force), leaving for basic training
~ Collier .. friend, Jim, father of 3 girls....Iowa National Guard, currently in Afghanistan
~ Severa .. husband, Jason (FR screen name Hostel), USN P-3 Aircraft Mechanic
.. .. brother Wes, USAF First Lieutenant
.. .. Jason's cousin David, 101st Airborne
~ MontanaCowgirlCop .. brother Ted, who is an 18-year-old Marine medic overseas right now
~ FReeper MikeinIraq
~ gatorbait .. brother-in-law John (Army) and nephew Andrew (Marine) in the mid-East
~ nelibeli .. nephew Tres (Army), is serving his 2nd deployment to Iraq (he volunteered to go back!)
~ pGfwabf .. son Mark (Marines) has been assigned state-side duty after graduating from boot camp.
~ It's_me_K.E.T. .. son, Brian (U.S. Army), deployed March 6 to Iraq for 13 months.
~ FreedomHasACost .. brother Ted (Marines) is in the Middle East
~ hoosier_RW_conspirator .. son, Jake (Army) deployed to Afghanistan
~ hoosier_RW_conspirator .. friend's son, Danny (Army) awaiting deployment for 2nd tour in Iraq
~ jch10 .. son, Maury, US Army, who is in Qatar, soon to be in South Korea before returning home
~ GVgirl .. son Nathan, active duty, California National Guard
~ herewego .. brother-in-law Robert has just left for Iraq
~ FReeper stompk has re-enlisted, this time in the Army Reserves after serving active duty in the past in the Navy, and hopes to be serving in the War on Terror soon as a medic
~ jtill .. Vic, Youth Minister at her church, will be leaving for Iraq for one year
~ BUSHdude2000 .. brother currently stationed at Fort Drum, NY, will be going to Iraq in August
~ TruthNtegrity .. Friend from church has returned from the mid-East. Retired Navy pilot hubby trying to get his wife to retire but she is committed to helping the military in her field of expertise and wants 2 more years to support the WoT.
~ Prophet in the wilderness .. nephew (Marines) has returned home from Iraq but has shipped out elsewhere.
~ ntnychik .. friend's son, Erik, an Army Ranger, on second tour in Iraq
~ from hoosiermama
.. George, in Iraq
.. Bill was home but is heading back to Iraq
.. Dan, our teacher, is still working stateside and his son has been accepted to one of the Military academies (West Point I think).
.. Brad is doing his second tour in Iraq
.. Tre, from work, has reinlisted and is currently working stateside.
~ PhiKapMoms daughter, Jennifer, U. S. Navy; Jennifers husband, Tyler, U.S. Navy both currently deployed
~ Happy2BMe .. son Aaron has returned safely from Iraq (having been awarded a Bronze Star), though quite a few from his Arkansas National Guard unit made the ultimate sacrifice. Prayers for their families.
~ CyberAnt .. nephew Jody (USMC) awaiting deployment orders
~ Sea2ShiningSea Chad, her adopted soldier
~ Marysecretary .. Jerry, a dear friend's only son, is going to Iraq
~ RoseofTexas .. Richard from Texas left for Iraq this past Feb.
~ Reagan79 .. brother, Chris, a Marine Reservist from MS, is in Iraq
~ JulieRNR21 .. a friend's grandson, Wesley in the USAF, is in Iraq
~ Slip18 .. nephew, Allen (USMC), is expecting to soon be deployed for his fourth tour of duty in the mid-East
~ TruthNtegrity .. cousin's son, Andy, is a Firstie (senior) at the US Navy Academy, and passed Phase 1 of qualifying for pilot training.
~ BonnieJ .. cousin Doug (Army) will be returning to Baghdad by December
~ BonnieJ .. cousin Josh will be going to Afghanistan with the Green Berets by the end of summer
~ OldSarge .. a FReeper, Kentucky National Guard, is deployed to the mid-East
~ SuziQ .. Chrissy, a West Point graduate and the daughter of friends, serving in Army Intelligence in Iraq
~ Marine_Uncle ..nephew LCpl Steven (USMC) currently in Iraq, second tour
~ StarFan .. son's friend Scott (USMC) just ended basic and will be deployed to Mid-East soon
~ Warriormom ..requesting prayers for the family of the Navy Seal in Afghanistan whose death has been confirmed
~ Warriormom .. updates prayer requests for Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell, CIA agents whose plane crashed in Columbia two years ago and are being held captive by the FARC according to a State Dept. briefing on June 27, 2005.
~ Kate of Spice Island .. cousin, Kenneth, US Navy in California
~ Keith Matthew Maupin, the soldier who was taken hostage and whose whereabouts are unknown. Prayers for his well-being and for his safe release and for strength and courage for his family.
~ Scott Speicher from Desert Storm
~ shezza .. husband in Afghanistan, brother in Germany (med-evac crew bringing wounded troops to Walter Reed), sister-in-law in Afghanistan
~ N8VTXNinWV .. brother-in-law in Afghanistan, brother in Germany (med-evac crew bringing wounded troops to Walter Reed), sister-in-law in Afghanistan.
~ notpoliticallycorewrecked .. Kenny (Marines) is going to Iraq in August. Please remember his mother, also she is having a very difficult time with this.
~ pGfwabf .. nephew Sam (Marines) leaving for Iraq in September
~ jtill .. Bob, who is the son of her friend Bess
~ hoosierkitties .. brother Philip is currently at Groton, CT, training for submarine duty
~ Jewels1091 .. Ross, friend of daughter, is about to deploy to Iraq for a year (his third deployment in the War on Terror and hes only 23!)
~ marylina .. friends son, Brandon (Navy), has returned from the Middle East and is now in San Diego, awaiting Navy Seals school
~ Jen's Mom .. daughter SPC Jennifer is in Ramadi where she is a medic
~ TexKat .. son, SS Khevin (US Army), is currently in Iraq
~ Gosh I love this neighborhood .. grandson is in Germany after a year in Iraq and his Dad (National Guard) is being sent to Kosovo.
~ Ladysmith .. brother's fiance's son, Shane, is in Iraq
~ JFC .. nephew Micah who is a Marine fighting now in Iraq.
~ Kate of Spice Island .. Sister-in-law, Deanna, USAF stationed in Alaska
~ mrs tiggywinkle .. cousin, Jason (Army National Guard), has deployed to Iraq for a year
~ DebWisconsin .. nephew has graduated from his specialty training and now is in South Korea for one year.
~ reaganite .. gr nephew, Scott (Marine), just arrived in Iraq
~ LUV W .. son David, a Captain in the Air Force, is home from Iraq and is stationed in FL
~ Jet Jaguar (U. S. Air Force) is home on leave after a tour of duty in Korea and is awaiting his next assignment
~ mrs tiggywinkle .. nephew Michael, Naval intelligence, being deployed to Iraq this spring
~ repubmom .. son Brian made Selection for Special Forces but decided to stay with a regular unit for now
~ SuziQ .. nephew, Alexander, an Apache Longbow pilot, has finished his tour of duty in Afghanistan his unit is currently in Germany
~ jlyspio .. friend, Chris (Air Force) currently stationed near London, England
* ~ patriciaruth ..
.. Near Tal Afar * Tommy, * Jeffrey
.. Near Syrian border Juan, Matt, Steve
.. At Kirkuk Timothy
.. At Irbil Dave
.. In Kosovo Stuart
.. Near Rawah - Matt, James, Chad, Brandon
.. At Ramadi * Chris
.. At Bagram, Afghanistan Sonya
.. roaming Afghanistan - Sonyas husband
.. safely home from Ramadi - * John
~ GOP-Pat .. friend Chip has been in Iraq since November
* ~ MozartLover .. son Ev (Army National Guard) is back in the mid-East after being home on leave
* ~ hoosierpearl .. friend Robert, in Afghanistan in a particularly volatile location right now
* ~ arbee4bush .. daughter Kristen (Freeper KB4W) has completed training and is now a loadmaster on a C-17 stationed at Charleston AFB.
* ~ Himyar ..... son, Robert (Air Guard) is in Iraq
* ~ mystery-ak .. son Jonathan has left for Ft. Dix for intensive training and then goes to Iraq
* ~ SE Mom .. son Tommy, 101st AB, has finished his chemotherapy and has been cancer free for nearly a year.
* ~ Jemian .. son [and Freeper] JemiansTerror has left for Ft. McCoy for extensive training before being deployed to the mid-East.
* ~ Txsleuth .. nephew, Shane, is home safe after a tour of duty in Iraq. He will be stationed in Italy for 3 years beginning in January.
* ~ cibco .. Warrior Nurse just deployed to South Korea
* denotes change to the list (an addition or sometimes, thankfully, someone who has come home safely)
(Please FReepmail me with changes to the list because I may miss pings.
Also, please let me know if you would like to be on or off of the ping list for this scripture and prayer post ... it is different from, and much smaller than, the Dose Ping List. Thanks.)
I will come back later tonight if I get time. Everyone is coming over for dinner and I have salsa and such to make...
Nice Dose snugs. Always a treat to see the President with the troops and new Americans to boot.
Great news about the Flag bill. It always astonishes me to read about associations that get so drunk on their "power" that they feel they can abridge such a fundamental right, as to fly our own flag. Of course, I've also not understood why people even choose to live in such places that allow these little tin dictators to have such an impact on their daily lives. Rant over!
God BLESS our troops!
(And thanks for the DOSE!)
I know Private First Class, Eduardo Leal-Cardenas. He was excited at the opportunity to become a US citizen.
Thanks for the Dose, Snugs. I was looking forward to these pictures from Walter Reed as I had heard about the ceremony today. Am off to look at the rest of the photos.
Hi snugs, thanks for this Dose.
I was curious what HR 42 said, and found this on the web.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-42
109th U.S. Congress (2005-2006)
H.R. 42: Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005
Overview
Official Title: To ensure that the right of an individual to display the flag of the United States on residential property not be abridged.
Status: Enacted
This bill has become law.
Introduced: Jan 4, 2005
Last Action: Jul 24, 2006: Became Public Law No: 109-243.
Sponsor: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett [R-MD]
I am VERY happy to see this because of all the nonsense about people facing legal penalties, being told they have to move from certain areas, etc., if they fly the flag outside their homes.