Posted on 05/10/2002 1:14:21 AM PDT by Snow Bunny
In tribute to the great men and women who have served their country in uniform, May marks National Military Appreciation Month. We are very grateful to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen for their commitment to preserving freedom and democracy in our Nation and throughout the world.
This year we celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 10. As we salute service members past and present, it is only fitting to recognize those who support them and help make their service possible.
Across the country, loved ones have been separated as service members have been mobilized or deployed in support of the global War on Terrorism. This is a pivotal time in the history of our country and we draw strength by remembering what is at stake in this conflict makes these sacrifices necessary. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families that have lost a loved one who gave that last full measure of devotion to their country during this war.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff and I join all Americans in paying tribute to the veterans and current members of our Armed Forces -- American heroes past and present -- for all they have done and all they continue to do in patriotic service to our country. We also salute our military spouses for their vital, continuing support to our men and women in uniform.
Gen. Richard B. Myers, USAF
As I stood in the doorway,
I watched you pack your bag.
You said good bye as tears spilled down my cheeks. The door shut and you were gone.
My heart broke into a million little pieces. I think I may have stepped on some.
I thought for a moment the world had stopped spinning and life as I knew it had come to a standstill.
The baby cried and I held her close.
It was then that I realized the world was still spinning.
The phone rang.
The bills came.
The car broke down.
I stood in the living room up to my ankles in toys.
Darn that Lego hurt!
Hands on my head, the world was spinning faster.
I must get back on.
What in the world did I do with that bottle of aspirin?
Oh I believe he took it with him.
Dinner time.
I look at the empty place at the table.
Not only is my heart broken.
It is angry.
I ask God "Why?"
"Why did they have to take him this time?"
"Can't they take someone else?"
God in all his infinite wisdom replied
"I have chosen you for this special mission in life."
"You are strong, yet soft."
"You are an independent individual, yet you can depend upon yourself when duty calls."
"You have the ability to handle a crisis in a manner that makes me proud to call you My Child."
"You are unique."
"You are special."
"You have been chosen."
"Hold your head high."
"You are a military wife."
±
Toward FREEDOM
I am so glad you like it too Dave. I love it and Billie !
I even have it at my Profile Page as well.
((((((( hugs ))))))
Please click on the logo to go to "A Few of FR's Finest". It is a real treasure of Veterans at FR.
Thank you all so much for serving.
· your peers call you and "old salt" but you've never been to sea.
· you've ever searched the supply room for fallopian tubes.
· you pull out a 16-gauge needle, and some Marine passes out.
· you can do the job of any rate in the Navy; and do it better.
· sea duty consists of buildings in foreign lands out of sight of any ocean.
· you think it's against the Geneva Convention for you to have to chip paint.
· you think an "all hands working party" means everyone but you.
· you use sutures to fix your uniform.
· you use the threat of a lost shot record as a way to get your supplies first.
· you make marks on each of your hands to differentiate port from starboard.
· you think inspecting the mess deck means you get free food.
· after a sailor's third visit to sickcall in a liberty port, you no longer warm his penicillin.
Happy TGIF for those of you which it is truly FRIDAY, LOL!!!!:)
Thanks for putting this together, Snow Bunny. I am truly humbled by your efforts. Now I wish I had taken more pictures when I was running around with the USMC!
Scuttlebutt, some of those items are ringingly true! Especially the one about using lost shot records as a means of gaining "cooperation" (never actually had to follow through, though!), and also "you pull out a 16-gauge needle, and some Marine passes out". Not to turn this thread into an exchange of old sea-stories (yeah, right!), but this actually happened to me when I was assisting in the lab at the NRMC on Camp Pendleton, just months after I got there fresh out of Corps School at GLAKES.
The hospital was low on blood, and a couple squads of Marines "volunteered" to donate (I'm sure the prospect of a good meal at the hospital cafeteria had nothing to do with it!). Everything was going well, and one of the last men I stuck was a Marine who was a weightlifter -- he must have weighed 250 lbs., all muscle, about 6'3". One tough-looking SOB. Well, that was until I hit the vein. When the blood started up the tube, his eyes rolled back into his head until all you could see was the whites, and over he went, taking all four chairs (connected underneath by a rail) over with him like a seesaw gone out of control. I barely had time to throw myself under him to cushion his fall, and his head caught me square in the solar plexus. Everyone else jumped to their feet to assist, but it must have taken me a couple of minutes to get my breath back!
Well, thanks again for the memories. I hope this is a fun thread for y'all. If anyone else out there has any good yarns, let's hear 'em!
Good list scuttlebutt, you forgot to mention the "silver bullets" the corpsman love to administer to a heat casualty...
Great topic SB...you look lovely as ever this fine mornin'
Leavin' today at noon for a Mother's Day retreat at White Sulfur Springs, PA, sponsored by Officer's Christian Fellowship (OCF). Looking forward to a great weekend in the mountains with family, friends and fellowship. Let you know all about it on Monday.
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