USO Canteen FReeper Style - "Thank You Troops and Veterans" - Oct. 2, 2002

Snow Bunny and friends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style

[Jen]

Part of our mission at the USO Canteen FReeper Style every day is to show our gratitude and respect for members of our military and veterans who have honorably served our country.

An experience by Tomkow6 sparked the idea for the Canteen members and lurkers to have an official "Thank Our Troops and Veterans" program. Several months ago on his way to work, Tomkow6 met a young Marine in uniform in a convenience store. Tomkow6 extended his hand to the Marine and thanked him for wearing the Marine uniform and for serving our country. The Marine seemed shocked that someone would thank him and want to shake his hand.

"This was a small thing that I did," Tom said, "and I hope I made that young Marine feel a little prouder about that uniform he had on, and what he was doing in it. I know I felt proud, just seeing him in uniform, serving his and OUR country, and knowing that he and others like him are out there, in the "all volunteer" US Forces, protecting our nation; to let them know that THEY are NOT forgotten; that there are citizens of the US that are very proud of them and what they are doing; that they are prayed for daily; that they WILL NOT have to suffer the shame that was heaped on my brothers and sisters returning from Vietnam; that they are our HEROES!"

So today the Canteen is kicking off an official program and a challenge to all Canteeners and lurkers to personally thank a service member or veteran when you see him or her. To make that a little easier and to help publicize the Canteen, we've created a business card that can be handed out after you greet the person and thank him for serving.

Snow Bunny wrote Free Republic's founder and owner Jim Robinson about our plan and desire to use the FR web address on it and got his approval on June 18.

When you see a member of the US Forces, go out of your way to shake his or her hand and say "Thanks for being there and putting on that uniform, and serving our country" or something similar, then hand out a Canteen business card and invite them to visit. That's all there is to it.

It's a simple thing that can have huge benefits in the lives of our troops and veterans who can never be thanked often enough for the sacrifices they make to defend our country.

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U.S. Coast Guard Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Michael Walker of Havre de Grace, M.D., U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Andrew Amor of Grain Valley, M.D., U.S. Navy Senior Chief Intelligence Specialist Christopher Roades of Eureka, Calif., U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Damian Wright of Idalia, Col., and First Sergeant Curtis O'Neal of Tuskegee, Ala., all have deployed to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom and are participants in the Pentagon Sept. 11 Observance Ceremony.

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The cards could also be placed under the windshield wiper of a car that has a bumper sticker or tag that indicates the driver is a military member or veteran. Or handed out in VA hospitals, VFWs, commissaries, BX/PX, wherever troops or veterans would gather.

Another great group of people to thank for their service and tell about the Canteen are military recruiters as Bluesagewoman has done so recently. Since they come into contact with the men and women who will become our country's newest military members, they are an ideal group to honor and help promote the Canteen.

Below are some business cards which can be copied and pasted into a Word document template for Avery business cards #8371. You can buy the perforated business card sheets and print your own cards, or have them printed at a copy center. You may have to change the font size if the text over-laps on the perforations on the pre-formed business card stock from Avery.

You may also want to take the liberty of "customizing" a little bit by adding your FR screenname, so the person you give the card to will know who to look for when they visit the Canteen.

If you would like to receive a ready-to-print template, send your email address by freepmail to AntiJen and she will email it to you.

Tomkow6 also created a small poster to put up in some of the local stores in his town that have community bulletin boards.

Thank you Tomkow6 for your wonderful idea!

[Valin]

1821 - Alexander Peter "Old Straight" Stewart, Lt Gen (Confederate Army)


Major General A. P. Stewart, a West Point Graduate who became the Highest Ranking
officer from Tennessee. Stewart taught mathematics at West Point
following his graduation and taught math in a number of schools, but
principally in Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tenn.

He joined the Confederate forces as a Major of Artillery. He was in
the Battle of Belmont, Mo., and was fought at the Hornet's Nest at the
battle of Shiloh. He commanded troops at Stone's River, Missionary
Ridge, and in the Atlanta Campaign of 1864 from Dalton to the
Chattahoochee River. He was wounded at Ezra Church. He was held in high
regard by his superiors, and July of 1864 General Joe Johnston gave him
command of Polk's Corps leading it though the Army of Tennessee's
remaining marches and battles.

He was a remarkable officer who made friends easily. His men called
him 'Old Straight' as a matter of respect, because they knew he could be
relied upon and when he told them something, that was the way it was.

After the war he taught at Cumberland University, was Chancellor of the
University of Mississippi and the Confederate commissioner of the first
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

[The Shrew]

I'm glad you liked my ideas. Don't worry about approaching the service men and women. While they are warriors, they are gentlemen and women and most will take your efforts kindly.

Thank you for the very kind words. GB Shaw has always been one of my favorites!

Regards,

TS

[SAMWolf]

You know me, always ready to take on a scrounging challenge.
Heven't been able to scrounge up Victoria though.:(

[radu]

I really enjoyed the article you posted. It's nice to hear about pleasant things some of our troops get to do in Afghanistan. There's so much ugly business going on over there but as your article showed, there's also some pleasant 'business' being taken care of. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Good Night, LaDivaLoca

[Kathy in Alaska]

Wow, bentfeather, the Lovers poem is wonderful. You are bound and determined to make me read aren't you? LOL! I am enjoying my lessons.

[Jen]

I think you will find that having a card to hand a servicemember will make it much easier to start up a conversation. (I used to be a consultant with a direct sales company and found this to be true! hehehe) Think of it as offering a gift to them. I bet you will never have anyone refuse the card or not be thankful for you talking to them. Let me know if I'm wrong and I'll let my evil twin take care of them! ;-)

[kneezles]

COOL! Looks like we got a lot of the Canteen Cuties here again tonight! I can't stay though, I have to get back to work. Have a GREAT night, I'll catch you when I can.

[Dakmar]

Thank you for supporting our troops. Let me make it absolutely clear though that I have never been in any branch of the Armed Forces. I just post to thes Canteen threads to add a touch of Hoosier weirdeness to the mix hoping I'll make at least one person larf, chuckle, giggle, or snortle that otherwise wouldn't have.

[Jen]

I think it's terrific that you honor our servicemembers in so many ways! Thanks for sharing your experiences - you gave me some ideas I'd never thought of and maybe some other people too. Thanks for your support of the Canteen and our troops and veterans. God bless you real good my friend.

Jen

[redhead]

"I did see yesterday's thread and was waiting for an In n Out Burger Graphic!"

Hi, TS! Hi, all!

Wow! In N Out! Yummy!

[Snow Bunny]

Now that is some train oh wow Tonkin, you mean we get a train ride today....yipeeeeeeee

Hey Tonkin.............. TRAFFIC JAM..................

.

[Jen]

What a beautiful, romantic poem. I love it.

[Snow Bunny]

Hi MM7, thank you for your wonderful support of the USO Canteen .....sure do love ya.

[Snow Bunny]

Thank you VOA,it is so good to see you. I loved your posts !

[radu]

Oh how I wish I could've had one of those cards printed off this afternoon. When the guy came over to set up the satellite, asked him if he'd been in the service. When he said he had, I smiled and told him "Thank you for your service to our country."

For a brief moment he had a shocked look on his face. It quickly turned to the brightest smile I've seen in a while. He very humbly said 'thank you' to me. I got the impression no one has ever thanked him before. How sad.

Any-hoo, I proceeded to tell him about FR and the Canteen and that's when I wished I'd had a card to give him. Instead, I just wrote one up by hand and gave it to him. He grinned and said he would check it out. I hope he does and decides he'd like to join us.

[SAMWolf]

You have Freep Mail

[Valin]

1678 - Wu San-kuei, gen, invited Manchus to China, dies trying to expel them


(snip)The downfall of the Ming house was the product of factors that extended far beyond China's borders. In the 1630s and '40s China's most commercialized regions, the Yangtze Delta and the southeast coast, suffered an acute economic depression brought on by a sharp break in the flow of silver entering ports through foreign trade from Acapulco, Malacca, and Japan. The depression was exacerbated by harvest shortfalls resulting from unusually bad weather during 1626-40. The enervated government administration failed to respond adequately to the crisis, and bandits in the northwest expanded their forces and began invading north and southwest China. One of these bandit leaders, Li Tzu-ch'eng, marched into Peking in 1644 unopposed, and the Emperor, forsaken by his officials and generals, committed suicide. A Ming general, Wu San-kuei, sought Manchu assistance against Li Tzu-ch'eng. Dorgon, the regent and uncle of Abahai's infant son (who became the first Ch'ing emperor), defeated Li and took Peking, where he declared the Manchu dynasty.

It took the Manchu several decades to complete the military conquest of China. In 1673 the conquerors confronted a major rebellion led by three generals (among them Wu San-kuei), former Ming adherents who had been given control over large parts of south and southwest China. This revolt, stimulated by Manchu attempts to cut back on the autonomous power of these generals, was finally suppressed in 1681. In 1683 the Ch'ing finally eliminated the last stronghold of Ming loyalism on Taiwan.

For more go to
http://home.swipnet.se/~w-38391/Ch'ing%20dynasty.html