FReeper Canteen ~ The Berlin Airlift Part 4: The Legacy ~ 28 December 2015

REQUEST PERMISSION TO COME ABOARD

CHARLESTOWN, Mass. (Jan. 14, 2008) The first major snowfall of the New Year blankets the USS Constitution. Despite the weather "Old Ironsides" remained open for free public tours. At 210 years-old, USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, manned by 67 active-duty United States Sailors and visited by nearly half a million visitors annually. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric Brown (Released)

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS AND OUR BELOVED NATION!!!

Boston, Oct. 21, 2009 - Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Philip Gagnon pipes as USS Constitution performs an underway demonstration in honor of the three-masted wooden frigate's 212th birthday. (U.S. Navy photo by Airman Mark Alexander/Released).
(Click for Bosun's Whistle)

USS Constitution's 1812 Marine Guard fire vintage Springfield flintlock muskets during the ship's underway. "Old Ironsides" was underway for the "Constitution Day Cruise," which is conducted to thank the family and supporters of Constitution. U.S. Navy photo by Airman Nick Lyman (Released)

OUR TROOPS ROCK!!!!!!!

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

A Place of Shelter

December 28, 2015

I long to . . . take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Psalm 61:4

Homeless people in Vancouver, British Columbia, have a new way to find nighttime accommodations. A local charity, RainCity Housing, has created specialized benches that convert into temporary shelters. The back of the bench pulls up to create a roof that can shield a person from wind and rain. At night, these sleeping spaces are easy to find because they feature a glow-in-the-dark message that reads: THIS IS A BEDROOM.

The need for shelter can be physical, and it can be spiritual as well. God is a refuge for our souls when we are troubled. King David wrote, â€œI call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than Iâ€ (Ps. 61:2). When weâ€™re emotionally overloaded, we are more vulnerable to the Enemyâ€™s tacticsâ€”fear, guilt, and lust are a few of his favorites. We need a source of stability and safety.

If we take refuge in God, we can have victory over the Enemy as he tries to influence our hearts and minds. â€œYou have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe,â€ David said to the Lord. â€œI long to . . . take refuge in the shelter of your wingsâ€ (vv. 3-4).

When we are overwhelmed, peace and protection are ours through Godâ€™s Son, Jesus Christ. â€œIn me you may have peace,â€ Jesus said. â€œIn this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the worldâ€ (John 16:33).

Dear God, I am frail and defenseless, but You are mighty and powerful. Please help me find peace and rest in You when I am overwhelmed.

God is our refuge.

Insight:

Of Psalm 61, Charles Spurgeon wrote: â€œThis Psalm is a pearl. It is little, but precious. To many a mourner it has furnished utterance when the mind could not have devised a speech for itself. It was evidently composed by David after he had come to the throne. . . . The second verse leads us to believe that it was written during the psalmist's enforced exile from the tabernacle, which was the visible abode of God: if so, the period of [his son] Absalom's rebellion has been most suitably suggested as the date of its authorship.â€

Permission Granted!

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

Good evening, Kathy and Star!

***HUGS***

Thanks very much ~ coming aboard! Rendering Hand Salutes to our National Colors and to the Officer of the Deck!

And thanks very much to you and Star for this Hall of Heroes thread! The intrepid pilots and support staff who stood against the Soviets to hold the City of Berlin over 65 years ago are most deserving of admission to our Hall of Heroes!

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN BROTHER!

S/SGT. LOUIS M. BONACASA, USAF
105th Security Forces Squadron
KIA Afghanistan 21 December 2015

God Of Our Fathers
(Click)

Taps
(Click)

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN BROTHER!

S/SGT. MICHAEL A. CINCO, USAF
Air Force Office of Special Investigations
11th Field Investigations Squadron
KIA Afghanistan 21 December 2015

God Of Our Fathers
(Click)

Taps
(Click)

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN BROTHER!

T/SGT. T/SGT. JOSEPH G. LEMM, USAF
Air Force Office of Special Investigations
105th Field Investigations Squadron
KIA Afghanistan 21 December 2015

God Of Our Fathers
(Click)

Taps
(Click)

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN BROTHER!

S/SGT. CHESTER J. MCBRIDE, USAF
Air Force Office of Special Investigations
Detachment 405
KIA Afghanistan 21 December 2015

God Of Our Fathers
(Click)

Taps
(Click)

Please note: The author of the Hall of Heroes is StarCMC.

Sending out prayers for Arrowhead1952 as he recovers from his horrible fall.

~ Hall of Heroes: The Berlin Airlift Part 4: The Legecy ~

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT

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

CLICK HERE TO FIND LATEST THREADS

CLICK FOR Current local times around the world

CLICK FOR local times in Seoul, Baghdad, Kabul,
New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Anchorage

To every service man or woman reading this thread.
Thank You for your service to our country.
No matter where you are stationed,
No matter what your job description
Know that we are are proud of each and everyone of you.
To our military readers, we remain steadfast
in keeping the Canteen doors open.
The FR Canteen is Free Republic's longest running daily thread
specifically designed to provide entertainment and moral support for the military.
The doors have been open since Oct 7 2001,
the day of the start of the war in Afghanistan.

We are indebted to you for your sacrifices for our Freedom.

NOTE: CANTEEN MUSIC
Posted daily and on the Music Thread
for the enjoyment of our troops and visitors.

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN BROTHER!

S/SGT. PETER W. TAUB, USAF
Air Force Office of Special Investigations
Detachment 816
KIA Afghanistan 21 December 2015

God Of Our Fathers
(Click)

Taps
(Click)

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN SISTER!

MAJ. ADRIANNA VONDERBRUGGEN, USAF
Air Force Office of Special Investigations
9th Field Investigations Squadron
KIA Afghanistan 21 December 2015

God Of Our Fathers
(Click)

Taps
(Click)

Welcome To All Who Enter This Canteen, To Our Serving Military, To Our Veterans, To All Military Families, To Our FRiends and To Our Allies!

Missing Man Setting

"The Empty Chair"

By Captain Carroll "Lex" Lefon, USN (RET), on December 21st, 2004

"In the wardroom onboard the aircraft carrier from which I recently debarked was a small, round table, with single chair. No one ever sat there, and the reasons, both for the table being there, and for the fact that the chair was always empty, will tell the reader a little bit about who we are as a culture. The wardroom, of course, is where the officers will dine; morning, noon and evening. It is not only a place to eat ~ it is also a kind of oasis from the sometimes dreary, often difficult exigencies of the service. A place of social discourse, of momentary relief from the burdens of the day. The only things explicitly forbidden by inviolable tradition in the wardroom are the wearing of a cover or sword by an officer not actually on watch, or conversation which touches upon politics or religion. But aboard ships which observe the custom, another implicit taboo concerns the empty chair: No matter how crowded the room, no matter who is waiting to be seated, that chair is never moved, never taken.

The table is by the main entrance to the wardroom. You will see it when you enter, and you will see it when you leave. It draws your eyes because it is meant to. And because it draws your eyes it draws your thoughts. And though it will be there every day for as long as you are at sea, you will look at it every time and your eyes will momentarily grow distant as you think for a moment. As you quietly give thanks.

AS YOU REMEMBER.

The small, round table is covered with a gold linen tablecloth. A single place setting rests there, of fine bone china. A wineglass stands upon the table, inverted, empty. On the dinner plate is a pinch of salt. On the bread plate is a slice of lemon. Besides the plate lies a bible. There is a small vase with a single red rose upon the table. Around the vase is wound a yellow ribbon. There is the empty chair.

We will remember because over the course of our careers, we will have had the opportunity to enjoy many a formal evening of dinner and dancing in the fine company of those with whom we have the honor to serve, and their lovely ladies. And as the night wears on, our faces will in time become flushed with pleasure of each otherâ€™s company, with the exertions on the dance floor, with the effects of our libations. But while the feast is still at its best, order will be called to the room â€“ we will be asked to raise our glasses to the empty table, and we will be asked to remember:

The table is round to show our everlasting concern for those who are missing. The single setting reminds us that every one of them went to their fates alone, that every life was unique.

The tablecloth is gold symbolizing the purity of their motives when they answered the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and their loved ones who kept the faith.

The yellow ribbon around the vase symbolizes our continued determination to remember them.

The slice of lemon reminds us of the bitterness of their fate.
The salt symbolizes the tears shed by those who loved them.
The bible represents the faith that sustained them.
The glass is inverted ~ they cannot share in the toast.
The chair is empty ~ they are not here. They are missing.

And we will remember, and we will raise our glasses to those who went before us, and who gave all that they had for us. And a part of the flush in our faces will pale as we remember that nothing worth having ever came without a cost. We will remember that many of our brothers and sisters have paid that cost in blood. We will remember that the reckoning is not over.

We many of us will settle with our families into our holiday season, our Christmas season for those who celebrate it, content in our fortune and prosperity. We will meet old friends with smiles and laughter. We will meet our members of our family with hugs. We will eat well, and exchange gifts and raise our glasses to the year passed in gratitude, and to the year to come with hope. We will sleep the sleep of the protected, secure in our homes, secure in our homeland.

But for many families, there will be an empty chair at the table this year. A place that is not filled.

WE SHOULD REMEMBER."

Many Thanks To Alfa6 For Finding Capt. Lefon's Chronicle Of "The Empty Chair."

"Traumerei"
Robert Schumann
(Click)

Never Forget The Brave Men And Women Who
Gave Their Lives To Secure Our Freedom!!

Good evening, Mac...*HUGS*...recovery coming along?

I’m back to work on Monday...boo! I’m not ready. And it’s another short payroll week.

The Berlin airlift did leave a lasting legacy.

Great job as usual ladies, thanks!

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...still cold?

You and Lynn-Dah walking off lots of good food?

Do you have a New Years gig?

I'm back to work tomorrow as well. D.C. is a ghost town in the week between Christmas and New Year's. It was warm again today - topped out at about 69 F. A brief respite tomorrow - high in the 40's.

"If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape
and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy."