A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....09-15-03....Military Monday

Aquamarine; Billie

[Aquamarine]

A Few of FR's Finest
....Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I could no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I had been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that didn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why we've created a place for just that. This is a friendly room in JimRob's house where FReeper FRiends can gather every day and just say hello if that's all they want to do.

There's more of course. We sometimes feature different FReepers, with a little background information on who they are and what makes them who they are, along with a few photos you might not have seen on other threads; sometimes others write an essay for us to post as the feature for the day; sometimes our presentation is a human interest story found elsewhere that you might not have read; sometimes special holiday threads; but whatever the topic of the day, it is always with FR's Finest in mind and that is YOU!

If you would like to be featured, or would like to see someone else featured, please send me a private FR mail.

Every Monday we will post the photos of FR's Military Personnel that I have collected and put into groups; these will be available to view through a link the remainder of the week - every day just a click away. :)   If you would like to add a photo of yourself or a loved one in the military, past or present, please let me know; I will hold it until I have enough for a new group.

Thank you, and please have fun with us...every day! ~ Billie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You For Serving Our Country!

TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete
MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub
BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet
MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga
BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette
MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid
BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP
MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian
BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

TOP: Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog.
MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son.
BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

TOP: dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon.
BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

TOP: ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband
poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son;
BOTTOM: AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset);
WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

TOP: Mo1's dad; BuffyT's Uncle (right, w/ her dad & grandmother); Armymarinemom's 3 sons.
MIDDLE: ru4Liberty's dad; SheLion's husband, MaineRebel; wirestripper.
BOTTOM: fivetoes; bigghurtt; hurricane; ladtx' dad; Pippin's brother.




                     

THE WEEKEND THREAD 09-13,14-03 Week in Review

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[LadyX]

Always look for your posts, Johnny Mac.
They without fail are heartwarming and charming and reflective - -

{{{{{ jwfiv }}}}}

[LadyX]

One of the advantages of military life was being able to see many air shows and stirring Fourth of July presentations.

Have seen the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds - -
the latter shown here - -

[LadyX]

Hi, Libertina !!!

[LadyX]

Beautiful story, Aquamarine.
Thank you for sharing it here.

[FreeTheHostages]

lol, nope, I keep trying but so far they haven't bounced me! :)

[ladtx]

Hard to believe it has been 34 years this month that I departed Oakland for Tan Son Nhut AFB in what used to be Saigon. Most of us were very young and thought we were invincible. I was 22 at the time. We lived every day over there as if it were our last, resulting in some wild times both in the air and on the ground. Unlike the Air Force and Navy jet pilots, the helicopter pilots (Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy)were close enough to smell the paddies and the smoke, something none of us can forget. We lived our lives both in the mud and the humid air just above the treetops, occasionally climbing high enough to cool off, our only respite. Now most of us have grown paunchy, gray, and hard of hearing because of the noise of those screaming transmissions, radios and rotor blades. You couldn't tell by looking at us now that we were once those young, skinny, clear-eyed pilots. I have a hard time believing it myself sometimes, but like anyone who has been to war, it defined each of us. We are different men than we would have been, not necessarily better, just different.

[LadyX]

"I''ll try it! I have had trouble for several days. When I hit post, it won't post, but this is my first triple!"

Can just see it - dixie winds up the pitch - MEGGIE flails at the ball and hits not a triple, but a HOME RUN !!!

[iceskater]

After this trip, this might become an annual event for us.

I was so amazed at how close together those jets were! One of the guys near us who was so nice said that the Blue Angels fly as close together as physics allows (air streams and all that). Whew! And I never knew until last week that the Blue Angel pilots are all active duty. I, for some unknown reason, thought they were not active duty. That must be a fun tour for those pilots.

[The Mayor]

[Diver Dave]

Mornin' FR's Finest... Hostessess.

Another fine tribute to our military.

Thanks and Salute to our Armed Forces past and present.

[The Mayor]

[Diver Dave]

Mornin' lad.

Offering up a salute to your fallen comrades.

1968 CW3 Frank W. Cross (USAR) -- A/228 Assault Support Helicopter Battalion 1 CAV, Age 36, Married, Ft. Belvoir, Virgina
1968 WO1 William M. Miller (USAR) -- 135th Assault Helicopter Company, Age 21, Single, Keene, New Hampshire
1970 LTJG William A. Pedersen (USNR) -- HA(L)-3, Age 25, Single, La Canada, California

[JustAmy]

Jim Robinson and FreeRepublic received this card last week .......

[The Mayor]

WOW!! That is too cool!

[dansangel]

*Excellent* photo ((((((DD)))))

Thank you for posting that!

[LadyX]

Understand all you relate, ladtx.
My husband was in the Air Force, based at Tahkli across the border in Thailand, where the then new F-111s were.
He had trained in Alaska for a year to be the forerunner of AF Special Forces - had to take on five men simultaneously, and beat them all, in order to 'pass.'

He headed a 12-man Strike Team, most days securng the perimeter of the airfield against communist infiltrators intent upon bring the planes down as they took off or landed.

Other days, he went to the surrounding Thai villages, where pointed out were 'strangers.' Eliminated them. Often it was too late to save their food supplies and some of the villagers from rape and torture - oh, but why were we there??? Useless endeavor?? NOT...

The communist infiltrators routinely singled out the educated/leaders to demoralize them and eliminate resistance. One day had taken the village chief's 5 year old grandson and punctured his eardrums with bamboo shafts, making the whole village watch.
Next was his 12 year old granddaughter - several did the unforgivable, and then hacked off her private parts, decapitated her, stuffing them in the mouth, and impaled it on a fence post.

Still think it was a useless war??? They were trying to stop the communist invasion of ALL of Asia from this, and then on to our shores - - and in many ways succeeded.

He often was ordered to board choppers with his team to be dropped into the Hot Spots in NAM to supplement the fighting forces - - the Tet Offensive and Da Nang, for example.
One day was dropped in NORTH Vietnam to search for a downed F-111 - three days before they were picked up.

A mile down the road from where we live is a Veterans Memorial Park where they just added an old chopper, mounted on a tall pole as if descending to land....it is all he can do to quell the memories of all those trips - yes - I know your feelings, ladtx.

Want to know what he did in his off time?? Bartered things for food from the cooks - borrowed the Chaplains' jeeps, commandeered a couple of his men, and took the food to outlying villages to prevent mass starvation.

One day when he arrived, the village chief greeted him with tears in his eyes and placed his hands on Bernie's head - the Ultmate Salute - - said all the communists left for the entire village was three scrawny chickens they missed....and here was No. One with food aplenty.

When he went into town to a restaurant to eat, he was revered by the locals and served full course meals with their appreciation - true No. One GI... not the drugged up ones portrayed in Oliver Stone's insulting Platoon.

Yeah, protestors - proclaim 'PEACE' - - but you can count on the military to LIVE THEIR BELIEFS of better things for all mankind while you stand there and pat yourself on the back, hating them.

God bless the ladtx's and all of his kind in America - -

[MEG33]

LOL..Now I'm getting an internal server error message at times.

[dansangel]

That is so impressive! What a wonderful tribute to JimRob and Free Republic! (And we're a "hate" group - yeah right!!! /sarcasm)

Thank you for posting that beautiful note of appreciation from our military to our "founding father" here on the Finest.

(((((((Amy)))))))
((((((JimRob))))))

[dansangel]

(((((LadyX)))))

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

May God Bless *all* of our Military abundantly for all that they do and have done.

[MEG33]

Thank you for sharing your stories.I salute our heroes.