A Few of FR's Finest......Every Day 06-24-02

Billie

[Billie]

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.  I
can remember lurking when there were only a few regulars who posted, and now there are over 60,000 who have registered for posting privileges. 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 can no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I've been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that doesn'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, in addition to seeing FR's Finest Military Personnel every day, I thought it might be fun to feature a different FReeper (or FReepers) each day. If you would like to be pictured, or know someone who would, please FReepmail me and we'll turn the spotlight - on YOU - for the day!

And do let me know if you'd like your picture added to the groups of Veterans/Active Military below. I will keep this page updated, and continue to add them to the comment section of the original Veteran's Day thread as well.

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:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68

MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

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.

                     

I'm Proud To Be A Freeper Because......

I get to meet people like this:  mtngrl@vrwc,  JustAmy,  Mama_Bear, and Senorita, a few of the FResno FReepers who give their time every Friday night to gather in support of our troops. I want to thank you and all of the other FResno FReepers for your dedication. (Oh, and contrary to what you might hear from ST.LOUIE1, it really isn't true they only attend the rallies for the cookies!) :)

Be sure and read about the Tailgate Party and Rally coming up next month. Call and make your reservations to attend. Click on the photo below for more information.

[ST.LOUIE1]

:) :) Bring me some more thank you gifs when you can! LOL!

Well, don't give them to the same people and they'll never notice they're retreads. The gifs that is. : )

[Billie]

I think he IS one of those that made fun of our Elvis thread last year, as a matter of fact!

[Billie]

Hey, I pinged you, too. (Didn't I?) LOL

How are you doing, David? Thanks for your service, and thanks for coming. :)

[ST.LOUIE1]

Stop bickering over me, girls.

Hey, Lori - I think we've already 'featured' the Louie Wolf today -
we can move on to someone else now. LOL

Suits me just fine.

I'm such a shy guy, : )

[Billie]

OOhhhhhhhh, I LOVE that little bear and her HAT!!! MUST post my littlegirl HAT!

[ST.LOUIE1]

Bad news. I have to leave for awhile. : (

You can handle the thread from here, right? LOL

See ya later, doll. I shall return. : )

[Billie]

I want him dead. 9/11/02 works for me.

[Billie]

Thank you, IG!! Thanks for coming, too! Hope you'll be back. :)

[Diver Dave]

Hmmmmm.....talkin' 'numbers are we?

They all give me Father's Day presents. Just thought I'd let you stew a while longer in the wolf stew kettle. :^)

[Billie]

LOL! Do hope you'll come back - maybe we'll have a jumprope competition or something. Or hula hoop!

[JustAmy]

May I post some family pictures? Okay, Thanks!

My Great-Uncle Harry circa WWI


My husband - WWII


My brother-in-law(left) and a friend in Korea

My brother Dale - Vietnam


Sure wish I had a picture of my G.G. Grandfather from the Civil War. You would have to see them all.
They all look so young.

[lodwick]

Did you say Cabrito?

[Billie]

Hey, I didn't know you still had that one - THIS is the one that I saved if you'd rather have it.......: )

[Billie]

Amy, that's wonderful - thank you so much for posting those, and I am saving them. Would love to include them in the next group for the photos above!

[Billie]

Well, that looks really pretty and appetizing! Do you like Cabrito? Ever cook it? (It's not my favorite - I'll take BEEF, PORK, or POULTRY any day!)

[No!]

Please don't do it again...

[JustAmy]

Well, since I do not have anyone in the military now, how about if I share a picture of FResno FReepers' adopted sailor (he is home now but we still consider him our sailor).

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Billie, this is a wonderful tribute...as classy as the Freep folks pictured....and that's about as classy as you get.

I vote you, Tonkin, Snow Bunny and summer for faithfully carrying out your self-imposed duties with enthusiasm and optimism...against all cultural trends and human nature...making us all look better. (^:

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Gunship crew helps locate lost jet skiers

06/24/02 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- Local residents might have heard an AC-130 gunship flying around for hours June 14, but the aircraft was not in the area for training, at least, not routine training.

A gunship crew from the 4th Special Operations Squadron here helped local law enforcement officials find two 19-year-old jet skiers who were stranded near Pensacola, Fla., in East Escambia Bay after their jet ski quit working.

The call for help came June 13 at about 10:30 p.m. EST from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, according to wing command post officials.

“Sometimes we get these calls and we can’t be much help,” said Tech. Sgt. Patricia Simms, who was the senior controller on duty that night. “There were young people out there, so we really wanted to do this. Fortunately, there was already a gunship crew in the air preparing to go to a local range for training, so we were able to send them to search.”

Before arriving, the aircrew did not have much information about the incident.

“When we got there, we realized it was a big deal,” said Maj. Chet, the aircraft commander. “The jet skiers had been in the water for hours. It was going to be like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.”

Until the gunship arrived at the search area around 11 p.m., the search for the stranded skiers was being done by a helicopter equipped with a spotlight that illuminated about 20 feet of water at a time, the major said.

“It would have been pure luck if they’d found the jet skiers,” he said. “They had a lot of area to search, and they couldn’t see much of it at one time.”

The commission’s command post gave the crewmembers the last known coordinates of the jet skiers, and the crew initiated a spoke-pattern search from that point, said the major. Using the gunship's sophisticated electronic equipment, including an infrared sensor and low-light television, the search area increased to about the length of a football field, said the major.

After about two-and-a-half hours of searching, the infrared sensor operator saw the skiers in the water.

“We had spent so much time looking and at some points we wondered if we would ever find them,” said Chet. “When we did, there was a sense of great satisfaction.”

With the skiers located, the aircrew directed a Coast Guard boat to the area for the rescue. After the skiers were safe with the Coast Guard, the crew relayed their success to the command post.

“We were ecstatic,” Simms said.

The satisfaction of a job well done was not the only thing the crew got from the search. The training was great too, said Chet.

“It’s better to see real-world stuff, to see how we’d really look for someone in a vast expanse, than to do in-house training,” he said. (Courtesy of Air Force Special Operations Command News Service)

[Billie]

Wonderful! Thank you! What a fine-looking sailor!