A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day......August 20 & 21-07....Military Tribute

Billie, The Mayor

[jaycee]

Billie, Enjoyed the story a lot. Breaks your heart but then makes you feel better~~~~I have had to be gone again today~

[Dubya]

U.S. Navy Steelworker 3rd Class Benjamin Hickok, attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seven (NMCB 7), nails down the foundation of a new hut during an engineering civil-action program in Sasamungga, Solomon Islands, Aug. 20, 2007. NMCB 7 is deployed in support of Pacific Partnership, a four-month humanitarian assistance mission to Southeast Asia and Oceania that includes specialized medical care and various construction and engineering projects.

DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2ndClass Kerryl

Cacho, U.S. Navy. (Released)

[Dubya]

U.S. Air Force Airmen from 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, 133rd Airlift Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard simulate working on injured patients in the back of a C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft during a training flight from Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport in Minnesota Aug. 15, 2007.

DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Erik Gudmundson, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Photo by: TECH. SGT. ERIK GUDMUNDSON, 133RD AIRLIFT WING

[jaycee]

[jaycee]

When I chose that little graphic, it was so clear and I could read every word, but when posted, its blurry~~~sorry!

[Dubya]

Military changes: new hotline for veterans, rules

‘The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a national suicide hotline for veterans in crisis.’ It will be hosted out of Canandaigua, N.Y., and works with HHS.

The VA suicide hotline number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). [(Biloxi) Sun Herald]

[Majie Purple]

No worries...Blurry happens!
Your thoughtfulness comes through crystal clear!
:)

[Dubya]

A Tribute To Veterans
Jerry Calow

In Vietnam, Korea and World Wars Past
Our Men Fought Bravely so Freedom Would Last
Conditions Where Not Always Best They Could Be
Fighting a Foe You Could Not Always See:

From Mountain Highs to Valley Lows
From Jungle Drops to Desert Patrols

Our Sinewy Sons Were Sent Over Seas
Far From Their Families And Far From Their Dreams
They Never Wrote Letters Of Hardships Despair
Only Of Love, Yearning That One Day Soon:

They Would Come Home, They Would Resume
And Carry On With The Rest of Their Lives

The P.O.W.’S Stood Steadfast
Against the Indignities And Cruelties Of War
They Could Not Have Lasted as Long as They Did
If They Had Relinquished Their Hope That Some Day:

They Would Come Home, They Would Resume
And Carry On the Rest Of Their Lives

Medics, Nurses, and Chaplains Alike
Did What They Needed To Bring Back Life
They Served Our Forces From Day Into Night
Not Questioning If They Would Survive:

They Mended Bones And Bodies Too,
They Soothed the Spirits of Dying Souls

And for Those M.I.A’S, Who Were Left Behind
We Echo This Message Across the Seas
We Will search For as Long As It Takes
You’re Not Forgotten And Will Always Be:

In Our Hearts, In Our Prayers,
In Our Minds For All Time

A Moment of Silence, a Moment of Summons
Is Their Deliverance of Body And Soul
To a Sacred Place That We All Know
Deep In the Shrines of Our Soul:

In Our Hearts, In Our Prayers
In Our Minds For All Time

INTERLUDE:
GOLD STAR MOTHERS GRIEVE: ENDLESSLY,
ENDLESSLY, ENDLESSLY.......

These Immortalized Soldiers Whose Bravery Abounds
They’re Our Husbands, Fathers, and Sons
They Enlisted For the Duty at Hand
To Serve the Cause of Country and Land:

They Had Honor, They Had Valor,
They Found Glory That Change Them Forever

Men Standing Tall and Proud They be
A Country Behind Them in a Solemn Sea
So Let the Flags of Freedom Fly
Unfurled in Their Majesty High:

In the Sun, In the Rain
In the Winds Across This Land

Years of Tears Has Brought Us Here
Gathering Around to Hear This Sound
So Let the Flags of Freedom Fly
Unfurled in Their Majesty High:

In the Sun, In the Rain,
In the Winds Across This Land

REPEAT:

In the Sun, In the Rain,
In the Winds For All Time

[Dubya]

FREEDOM IN AMERICA...
Nicci Veltri, Age 14
Submitted May 19, 2003

This poem was written to thank all of the soldiers who have served in the military in the past and those who are currently serving in the military, like my sister. Thank you!

Soldiers in war sacrificed their lives,
Leaving behind their children and wives,
The thought of never coming home again,
Kept them going from beginning to end,
Fighting for freedom was the purpose of the war,
Many gave up their lives for us to have more.
One time a year on Memorial Day,
We each thank them in a special way.

American freedom is a mystery to me,
Without it what would the next day for me be?
When we are eligible we vote for who’s right,
We have a say in who rules if we might.

Living in America as you can see, is
A place where I can grow up to be free.
Freedom to laugh freedom to cry,
Freedom to ask and answer why,
Freedom to believe in whatever you do,
Freedom to dress, and just to be you.

To me our freedom is a dream come true,
But I wish that it was shared with everyone, not just me and you
A soldier is brave, a soldier is true,
To his or her country and protects me and you.
Memorial Day is not once only a year,
But we can remember everyday, to be sincere.
Remember those who died, and keep those who lived in thought,
But never forget the reason why we fought...
FREEDOM

[Dubya]

Flag etiquette

A bill that recently passed the Senate finally makes it clear that current and former military personnel can now salute the flag even if they aren’t wearing their uniforms.

The change to U.S. Code Title 4, Chapter 1 introduced by U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) passed the Senate July 25. The old law said veterans and service members not in uniform should place their hand over their heart when they stand before the flag, but it never made it clear whether they could or should salute the flag. Inhofe said he believed it was the appropriate way for the 25 million U.S. veterans to show their patriotism.

“The salute is a form of honor and respect, representing pride in one’s military service,” Senator Inhofe said in a news release. “Veterans and service members continue representing the military services even when not in uniform.”

[Billie]

Warm Fuzzy Wednesday & Thursday