Support our Troops NOW!! e-mail to copy and paste

Retired LTC and Wife | September 16, 2001

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Please pass this e-mail around the United States to as many people as you can, as quickly as you can.

Dear Fellow Americans;

We do not know when our troops will be sent to retaliate for the Act of War by another country on ours. But they will be deployed and it will be soon.

Please, when you see someone in uniform, tell them "Thank you for serving, God Bless you and your family".

Assure them that America will take care of their families, then do it!! Donate food and money to relief society's for the military. So many are young families, and when Mom or Dad leaves, a "family" is left behind. The military's wages are awful. Many enlisted are on food stamps. Please, take care of those who are left behind while our soldiers go to serve our Country.

Comfort and Thank the Moms and Dads, siblings and friends of those who will be going to War on behalf of us all.

Rally around the Flag. Fly the Flag. Let our troops know how much they mean to us. This time it will be a long one. This time we will lose many. Blood has been shed on our shores,.. we absolutely have to respond. Tell the brave brave men and women of our Armed Services that we support them, that we appreciate their sacrifices, (and the sacrifices they are about to make are many). Let them know we know, and we appreciate them.

If you live in a community that enjoys a military presence, donate to barbecues for the families who are left behind. Try to support them as a community. The waiting and worrying is horrendous. Lets let them know we are with them.

If you are young and healthy, join up. Join the Air Force, Army, Marines or Navy. Your country needs you.

Understand that National Gaurdsmen and women will be serving too. They are your neighbors. They are teachers, policemen, store clerks, office workers etc, who normally serve as "weekend warriors". But will now be serving full time. Carry their load at work with a willing heart. Send them our Thanks, and our support.

When you hear of troops being deployed, find out where you can be to give a physical show of support. Street corners, etc. Ask your Mayors to co-ordinate with the military a time and place where your city can SHOW the troops that we stand behind them.

Take your little ones with you. Your children, and grandchildren. Let our soldiers see the faces of the Americans whom they are defending. It will be planted in their minds and sustain them during this long deployment.

Let them see the faces of the children who deserve to live in Freedom without fear as we did growing up. Let your little ones see American Heroes. Let them know that these are the people who are protecting them against the bad guys. Assure them we are in very able and capable hands.

God Bless our Troops, God Bless the President and our Government and God Bless America.

Very Sincerely,

LTC. (Ret.) and Mrs. Whitten

PS. Please take a few moments when forwarding this e-mail to clean it up. ie; when you see the sentences are disjointed, or there are many of these >> >>>>> please clean it up. Copy and paste probably avoids that from happening the most. It will make this much easier to read, and we appreciate you taking the time to help. Thanks again!

[anymouse]

Bump for our troops.

[JustAmy]

Bump. Freedom for our country. Prayers for our military and prayers for or President.

[maranatha]

Thanks for the post. I read here and in the list that was compiled a while back giving the occupations of Freepers, and there are so many military and vets. I always like to learn who is in the military or have family serving, or is a vet. I think we should have a Free Republic military list somewhere on file without giving names or lot of detail.

Mine reads: Husband ex-Marine, Viet Nam; son is career Air Force.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Please tell your husband when he gets called up, and we mean this with all our hearts, that we appreciate his service, and will pray for his safe return. Please know that we also truly understand what you'll be going through. If there is ever anything we can do,. just let me know via the Freep mail K?

Could you keep us posted as to what your community does for the families waiting too? It would be helpful and give others ideas. But mostly, know our hearts and appreciation are with you both. As is the Nations!!

God Bless Hero's like your husband. And may God Bless the unseen Hero's, the wives and families left behind keeping the home fires burning.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

bookmarking to listen to it later.. thanks for bumping this message. **Salute** American Soldier!!! ;o)

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Your prayer is our prayer. Thanks friend

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

That would be 4 ****Salutes**** Then :o)

Thanks my fellow AF commrade!!!

I think you have almost all the services covered there!! Way to go!

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Thanks for bumping the thread SKYDRIFTER :o)

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Our appreciation and love goes out to both of your sons. Please tell them that we honor their service to our country. That we are with them in spirit!! We will be praying for them, and we are SO PROUD of them!! Our entire Nation feels this way!!!

Please also know that "we know" the anguish that you must be going through as a mother. Mom, we honor you too. We thank you for giving this Nation sons that would love it enough to serve us all. You will also be in our prayers. A grateful Nation will pray for their safe return to you.

Please let me know by mail here if there is anything I can ever do.. just talk, a phone call, anything k??

God Bless them and you Mom!!!!!

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

We must win!

We will friend, we will!!!

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

2 **Salutes** and I'm sure your husband feels like we do.. we'd help out now if we could, and who knows ?? They may open things back up for the experienced Vet. Cept those young guys and gals could beat us at things like football, so physically they could out do us, but in my field, or in my husbands, experience is king!!!)

Please also tell your active duty Son that he has our prayers and heartfelt appreciation!!! God Bless him, and all of you left at home. I'm sure your bursting with pride, but also anxious. I assure you he will be in our prayers. Once our troops are deployed maybe we can start a prayer thread. Be sure to watch for it, so you can add your sons name if he is sent overseas, K?

God Bless all of you!!!

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

;o) Thanks!!

[Issaquahking]

Thanks for the ping......I see good people on both sides of my name; looks good!

[Helix]

Thank you. I'll keep you posted. I'm sure our elementary school will do lots of things. Every year, they invite veterans to our Veterans Day program. We sing songs and kids from each grade read poems like In Flander's Fields They've already organized a patriotic singing and a Red, White and Blue Day.

[dixiechick2000]

Thanks so much for the ping!

I've bookmarked the "Support Our Soldiers" page and will send it to everyone I know.

Tonk, you are right up there with JohnHuang2 and farmfriend with your bump list. Congratulations on a job well done!

BTTT!

[ultimate]

Your response (which is in "") to my private email to you saying that I think it is unwise to make the departure of troops a public display under these uncertain climate.

"Both of us are Military."

My answer: I have a military kid.

"We have supported our troops, and my husband has even sent them off to war from his Battalion."

My answer: Would you send your own kids off to war in a manner that might compromise their safety?

"We refuse to live in a paranoid shell."

My answer: Was "Loose lips sink ships" paranoid?

"Our President has asked in many ways to NOT allow exactly what you propose to happen."

My answer: The President has secret service to protect him wherever he goes. Do you think he will stop using them?

"Our troops need and want the support. They will get it from us. If you want to cave in to the very thing "fear" that the terrorist are trying to create as a way of life in our Country, you're free to do so."

My answer: Is making troops ducks in a barrel for their sake? Prudence and fear are two different things. Do you have locks on your doors?

"We will be cheering them off, sending them on their way."

My answer: So will we, privately. My son doesn't need outside cheerleaders to maintain high standards of discipline and performance so do me a favor and don't blab when and where he is leaving from.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Why would you write a "private" e-mail to me here, only to then make public what I "assumed" was a private e-mail back to you?

I have had numerous responses from parents. I would have to say 99 and 9/10ths are appreciative of the Nation supporting and sending off their kids. I'm sorry you feel differently, and I'm trying to understand your feelings, even if I disagree with them.

I won't sit home on the side lines and not show support for our troops. I hope when you think of this more, you will realize that our troops cannot be incognito all the time. They wear uniforms, they are extremely visable.

We cannot live in "fear" of terrorists. We just can't!! Are you saying we should never gather in groups to watch football? Or to watch political campaigns? Or to rally for other causes because the bad guy may get us? I can't live that way. I'm sorry you feel this way.

Our military to not live in a shell. They go out, have night lives, and go to work through a main gate. If someone wants to "get them" they will be gotten. I feel for the fear your experiencing, I can relate to it as a Mom. My son signed up in the Marines DURING Desert Storm.

We are always up against the "unknown". The type of attacks we imagined our kids would experience during Desert Storm were unknown then too. Gas?? Biological?? So, I honestly understand your fears. Hard as it may be, we have to set examples of courage. I didn't cry when my son left, but I wanted to, trust me!! I was scared to death. But I knew that I needed to be strong so he could be. It was so much easier to be the one serving,.. lots easier than having your child serve.

But I just cannot sit back and let the terrorist win another sick victory against our basic freedoms. I organized a huge rally in Alaska during Desert Storm. The troops got pictures and new they had our support. Many came to the rally. Some heard about it from loved ones. We all feel fear when this kind of thing happens. Trust me. But how we react to it shows our courage and faith in our ability to win.

I must say though, that if you write to me in private again, I won't answer. I consider that a "private" mode of communication. And your posting what we wrote in private violated that privacy. You lost my trust, and I'm not sure why you wrote in private now in the first place. I stand by what I said there ... here.

Your son has our appreciation. And you have my prayers.

[mfulstone]

AND REMEMBER:

[ultimate]

I made our correspondence public because I was so put off by the arrogance and efforts at intimidation of your response.

I simply can't fall for the "whistle in the dark" mentality that abounds right now. Yes, I think that gathering together in large groups right now is out-of-step with reality. If you don't, that's fine, but don't put the kids of other Americans at risk because you think the troops need to be "pumped" when they deploy. Going to war because of the requirements of Justice should be enough for mature people.

This will also be my son's second go round. Of course, without question, I support him in the oath he took and because I believe that Justice demands we find the right terrorists and exact punishment militarily.

But that doesn't mean that I think the military actions that are the logical consequence of hideous terrorism would be necessary if we (America) weren't responsible for the antagonism generated toward us because of our horrible,horrible foreign policies.

I am tired of my son and your's risking their bodies again and again and being told that they are on the line because other countries hate us because we are a democracy.

I resent possibly losing my precious son over this lie. It's BS and I'm sick of it. I resent being treated as though he and I just got off the turnip truck.

The facts are that more beautiful Americans and beautiful people of other nations (yes I do believe they are children of God too) will die because of the lust for money and power for some.

And this isn't even touching on the lax security measures that made the terrorism possible. Watch for Americans to pay for that too.

You may think the timing for these remarks is inappropriate. I do not. We can't start looking within too soon. We can't let false national pride keep us from reevaluating foreign policies and making the unprecedented step of admitting that we may have been wrong about some things. That doesn't translate into letting terrorists come and go to the bathroom all over us because even if we are wrong they have no right to do the extreme things that they did.

[Snow Bunny]

Thanks zo much.