Posted on 12/28/2006 8:37:52 PM PST by brityank
(CBS 3) The numbers that are reported every night on the news of the casualties in Iraq can be cold and impersonal because every number represents a hero, many from our area. And every number is a story that deserves to be told. CBS 3's Larry Mendte relates the story of Corporal Stephen McGowan - the beanie baby soldier.There are people in this world who can create a ray of hope in our darkest hour of despair.
Stephen McGowan, 26, joined the army in the tsunami of emotion that flooded this country after 9/11.
"For him protecting the nation was an immediate response," said his mother Bobbie McGowan.
And when it was time for soldiers to go to Iraq, Stephen volunteered.
"His roommate had a 3-year-old and he felt it was his duty to go before men who had children," said Bobbie.
McGowan made children his mission in Iraq. Even though he was a medic in a scout group that saw action and atrocities almost everyday, he found beauty and hope in the faces of Iraqi children.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbs3.com ...
Larry Mendte is the lead anchor at KYW-TV3, and at the end of this piece said he wished to bring the stories of all of the fallen Heroes to the screen.
Ping.
blurry monitor. Gotta get this thing fixed!
bttt
Father Greg Corrigan embraces the McGowan family after services at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Elsmere. Stephen, wearing his dress uniform, was home for Christmas after graduating from Army boot camp in November 2002. From left is his sister, Michaela McGowan, Father Greg, Stephen and his mom, Bobbie McGowan, of Newark.
Thank you for the portraits.
Delmarva ping!
Would love to see the video, but can't, on this puter. I did the tiniest part for the Beanie Baby effort this Christmas. It was all I had to give.
I can only shop at one store, but had seen Beanie Babies there, so put them on my shopping list for a Christmas package to one of our troops in Iraq, along with Silly String and a few other things.
We learned it was best not to send anything overtly religious or even terribly Christmas-y. Well, I was ecstatic to find just one leftover red white and blue patriotic bird - I believe it was a rooster, not an eagle, but it had the stars & stripes on it.
When I picked it up, I noticed the white tailfeathers were discolored a dirty black. I wanted it anyway, so when I got to the checkout, I asked for a discount on it - these had been sold out long ago and this one had been thrown back many times, I'm sure.
In fact, it wasn't really dirty, it was just bad yarn in the tailfeathers. However, the manager wouldn't give me a discount, because he said Ty pays them for the culls they have to send back. I told him why I wanted it, to send to a soldier to give to a child in Iraq, and he still said no.
Not wanting to send something that looked kinda rag-tag, I went back to the shelf and rummaged through the other Beanie Babies. They were all Santa bears and had Christmas names and decorations on them - or there was also a pig, which I figured would be a no-no, lol. Then, *bingo* - I saw what I needed.
When I took it back to the register with my other things, the manager exclaimed that he was glad I'd found one I liked. And he added, I think an Iraqi child might be better off with the one you chose than the *rahrah* Uncle Sam one, lol!
He was right. It was a little white lamb of God! At least I knew they ate lamb in Iraq, but what they don't know about this one won't hurt them! Sent with a prayer.
Positive Iraq Story Ping.
Thanks!
Ping for the Canteen.
Good link; thanks.
Kathy in Alaska and Rte66 -- take a look at #7's url.
Hi, I waited about 10 minutes for it to open in my browser, but it never did. What is it, do you mind my asking?
Tricksy you are! But that's great!
My brother gives out so many Beanie Babies, and I am sure that many of our soldiers do. I can't imagine how many have been sent over there, but it would be interesting to see how much Ty's sales have increased.
I began to wonder if all the kids had a Beanie Baby by now, but then I think of how many villages my brother visits (hundreds) and how many children are in each village, and I imagine we're not near saturation!
Thanks for posting this...and thanks to Larry Mendte.
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