[amom]

Good evening Kathy. Boy is it chilly in your neck of the woods. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[MeekMom]

Mornin' ladies! Happy Birthday ACAD! ((smooch))




Free Comments and Graphics

[beachn4fun]

WELCOME TO THE

(where our troops, allies and their families can refresh themselves)

Good morning, Everyone. Good morning to our AWESOME Military,
our Allies and their families.

Thank you, Ma, for preparing the Canteen for today’s activities.

Now for our local DC Metroland weather report

~ Today.... Partly sunny this morning...then clearing. Highs in the lower 50s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

~ Tonight.... Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 30s. West winds 10 to 15 mph.

Woo Hoo, I'm back. This is going to be a quick hello so that I can scan the posts and catch up on how everyone's Christmas went. Need to see if Santa brought you a gift or coals? LOL

The Beachy family had a good time. The weather was just as Beachy likes it. But, maybe a tad too warm for Christmas. And, yesterday, ahhhhhhhhh.....60-something!

Looks like it'll be all down hill for the week, though. Still none of those single digit ones, Hallelujah!

Time for me to make my rounds. But, you stay right where you are. Keep your eyes on your monitor. Cause...............I'll be bock

Now remember, the Canteen is ALWAYS

So, come on in and sit for a while. There's always plenty of coffee, pancakes, conversation, silliness, and plain old BS

REMEMBER THEM

DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT

Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before.

[acad1228]

Tunes For Da Troops!!!acad1228’s Daily Dose O’ Da Blues!Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Life By The Drop
Click here to purchase music by Stevie Ray Vaughan

Denise Lasalle - I'm Over You
Click here to purchase music by Denise Lasalle

Joe Bonamassa - Unbroken
Click here to purchase music by Joe Bonamassa

Delbert McClinton - Good Man, Good Woman
Click here to purchase music by Delbert McClinton

Candye Kane - Who Walks In When I Walk Out
Click here to purchase music by Candye Kane

Support the artists you hear in the Canteen (buy their music)!

(FReepmail me if you would like to be added to the "Daily Dose O' Da Blues" Ping List.)

[DYngbld]

I retire next year after twenty years in the Navy. I have been blessed to be home for all but one Christmas. My first year in the Navy I spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years in Boot Camp. Those days did not count as "training days" so consequently boot camp was 3 days longer. I got may wisdom teeth pulled and I wasn't married then so missing Christmas was no big deal.

I have missed a few birthdays along the way but not Christmas.

[unique]

[Colonial Warrior]

The Average Military Man

He trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle. Psalm 144

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.

He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm howizzitor. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job. He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime.

He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood. And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so. As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot.. A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.

~Author unknown

Prayer Wheel

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen."

The Colonial Warrior