USO Canteen FReeper Style....Honoring Merchant Marines..May 21,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

Official U.S. Merchant Marine Flag designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry

National Maritime Day -- May 22

Maritime Day was first designated by Congress in 1933 to commemorate the first steam-assisted, trans-Atlantic crossing by the SS Savannah which sailed from Savannah, GA to Liverpool, England, on May 22, 1819.

This day is a time to remember America's maritime heritage and to honor mariners who gave their lives defending our Nation's freedom.

Of the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Army and Merchant Marine, the mariners are believed to be the oldest.

On June 12, 1775, a group of Maine mariners, armed with pitchforks and axes, used an unarmed lumber schooner to surprise and capture a fully armed British warship off the coast of Maine.
The men later used the captured guns and ammunition from the ship to bring in additional British ships to disrupt shipping along the Atlantic coast.
The U.S. Army officially was organized January 1, 1776, just in time to fight the British. The Coast Guard dates to August 4, 1790, when Alexander Hamilton organized a fleet of cutters to prevent smuggling, as authorized by an act of the First Congress in 1789.
The Continental Navy was founded in 1775, but disbanded at the end of the Revolutionary War. The last warship was sold in 1785. The modern Navy is generally credited with being founded in 1797

Keeping the Allied forces supplied with food, fuel and raw materials, the Merchant Marines, volunteer civilian sailors, endured some of the highest casualty rates of the war, but upon returning home, they were overlooked in victory celebrations. No medals, no G.I. Bills, not even federal cemetery plots were offered to these brave men who helped America succeed in it's wartime effort.

Hundreds of U.S. merchant ships were sunk while carrying war supplies to our fighting forces around the world. Thousands of Merchant Marines died and many were captured and tortured.

Many died in service of their country during all Wars, including Revolutionary War, World War II, Korea, Vietnam; and their U.S. Naval Armed Guard shipmates.

"Mariners have written one of its most brilliant chapters. They have delivered the goods when and where needed in every theater of operations and across every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult and dangerous job ever undertaken. As time goes on, there will be greater public understanding of our merchant's fleet record during this war World War II.">br> President Franklin D. Roosevelt

[Snow Bunny]

Tribute to Vietnam Veterans....Please click on picture

The great intangible of America's wars beyond logistics, beyond strategy, beyond wonder weapons and Generals, is the spiritual force of its fighting men and women - and that is the force that the USO so serves.

Free Republic....Click for Donations

Thank you from all those that frequent the FReeper Canteen to Jim Robinson, Founder of FRee Republic and Navy Veteran.

[Snow Bunny]

Welcome to the FReeper Canteen.

Please make yourself at home and know you are so appreciated for your support of our troops and for being a FReeper!!

[Snow Bunny]

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Bunny.

[JohnHuang2]

Good morning, my friends.

[JohnHuang2]

[Aeronaut]

Good morning John. I hope all is well with you today.

[JohnHuang2]

Thanks -- hope all is well with you, too, friend.

[MistyCA]

Thank you for the ping, Bunny.....to another great thread! You are doing a fabulous job of making our Canteen home special!! :) I just got in a little while ago...it is cold out tonight! Yikes! I notice you girls did a number of the Bad Boyz while I was gone .... LOL! :)

[larryjohnson]

Sunrise County, Maine (officially Washington CO.) Is honored to be the first to welcome the sun(and 33 degF) to this forum. Good morning Patriots! Thank you Bunny for no more snow and for this MM Memorial. Ft. O'brien is in Machiasport to honor the man who led the afformentioned capture of th British ship in 1775. It is little more than an elementary school with some grassy knoles and The Flag. I started school 1944 in Virginia where my neighbor cousins were in the MM. They like every young man went to war. We were worried at the news. At an early age I became proud of all who serve.

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin' Snow Bunny! Mornin' All!

[MeekOneGOP]

"Freeper Wins Republican Primary for U.S. Senate"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/686697/posts

It is with great pleasure that I announce to my Freeper Friends that I won the primary election last week in West Virginia. So, in WV it is the Right Jay against the Left Jay. Any Freepers looking for a good place to spend their summer vacation and help us defeat Jay Rockefeller, come on out.

I'll be in DC the next couple of days trying to raise a little money. If you know of a conservative PAC that might want to help, please let me know at jaywolfe@iolinc.net. You can check out my new web site at www.jaywolfe.net.

Best wishes, Jay Wolfe

[Pippin]

GOOD MORNING!

[Pippin]

GOOD MORNING! congratulations to Jay Wolfe! He won the primary, now on to November! "LET'S ROLL!"

[MeekOneGOP]

Good one, JH2! Thanks!

Lashing at Castro, Bush rouses exiles
[Viva Cuba Libre!]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/686840/posts

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin'! Yay!

[MeekOneGOP]

Time to head to Bally's for my mornin' workout!
See ya'll in a little bit!

[tomkow6]

Good morning, Snow Bunny! Good morning all!

Hope every here has a GREAT day!

How 'bout a LITTLE to help start your day:

At a pharmacy, a blonde woman asked to use the infant scale to weigh the baby she held in her arms.

The clerk explained that the device was out for repairs, but said that she would figure the infant's weight by weighing the woman and baby together on the adult scale, then weighing the mother alone and subtracting the second amount from the first.

"It won't work," explained the blonde. "I'm not the mother, I'm the aunt."

[kneezles]

Good Morning!!!

[tomkow6]

I would like to share a small incident with all of you.

This morning, I had to stop & buy gas. I pulled in at a station around the corner from where I work in Des Plaines, IL; at the pump across was a young Marine, dressed in fatigues. As it worked out, he was ahead of me, when we went inside to pay for our gas. Since I already had my money ready, I was on his heels as we exited. He held the door for me, for which I said "Thank You". Then I added "And thank you for being there", motioning at his uniform. At first, he looked a little stunned, unsure of what I ment. He looked at me, then broke out in a smile, & said: "You're welcome". I then added "God bless you!" He smile grew larger, & then gave me a quick salute.

I know this is just a very small thing, but I can only hope that I made that Marine feel a little prouder today. I know he made me feel proud.