USO Canteen FReeper Style FReeper FRiday Salutes George W.Bush ....November 1,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

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The USO Canteen FReeper Style
Delivering a Touch of Home

Message from Snow Bunny to all those who visit the Canteen.

This is how I think of the USO Canteen Freeper Style.
It is like a cottage down a road,
a place where a weary veteran can spend the night.

Since it opened, it is magical how so many
Freepers who post here, feel it too.
It has been so dear how the Freepers
kept making it a cottage - a home-type of place
that had a huge living room
for them to visit in and a dance floor, a library, etc.

Many Veterans have written to me,
saying that the Canteen is like home
to them for the first time since they served.

This is your Canteen -
a respite from our busy
and sometimes troubling world.
Make yourself at home.

Snow Bunny

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If you know a Veteran, someone in your family,
friend of the family, neighbor, who served their
country, take a brief moment of your day to thank
them.

Thank them for the sacrifice they made
for the better good of their country.  

We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper 
Style, are thankful for every service member 
in our military, who has served our great nation.

So, to the men and women who answered the call,
In both times of war and peace, thank you.

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Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

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The USO Canteen Honors FReepers
who have served, or are now serving their country.

.TODAY'S CANTEEN HONOREE

George W. Bush

You may have a loved one who has served in the past.
We at the FReeper USO Canteen would like to honor each and every one.

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George Walker Bush
President
Commander in Chief

Have you noticed a difference in the salute given by our military men and women as President Bush walks by? Most folks would not notice anything, but military people see it right away. Watch: When President Bush leaves his helicopter or Air Force One, the honor guards salute and face him as he disembarks, then turn their faces towards him as he passes by. They continue to salute his back as he walks away. This kind of salute has not been seen in the previous eight years, though it is customary courtesy to the Commander-in-Chief. You see, soldiers aren't required to turn and face the President as they salute. They are not required to salute his back. They are only required to salute. They can remain face-forward the entire time. And that is what they did during Bill Clinton's entire Presidency. Our soldiers were forced to obey Clinton's orders, but they were not forced to respect him. From their salutes, we can surmise that they did not. Why is such respect afforded to President Bush? He doesn't even know how to bite his lower lip and not get teary-eyed whenever he speaks!

The following incident from Major General Van Antwerp may give us an insight. Gen. Antwerp is president of the Officers' Christian Fellowship. He lost nearly all his staff when the Pentagon was attacked Sept. 11. His executive officer LTC Brian Birdwell was badly burned and in the hospital when President Bush visited him. Our President spent time and prayed with Brian. As he was getting ready to leave, he went to the foot of Brian's bed and saluted. He held his salute until Brian was able to raise his burned and bandaged arm, ever so slowly, in return. The Commander-in-Chief never initiates a salute, except in the case of a Congressional Medal of Honor winner. The injured soldier did not have to return the salute. But he did, out of respect to his President - a Soldiers' President.

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George Walker Bush is George and Barbara Bush's first child. George W., shown here in 1947, was born on July 6, 1946, as his father was finishing his studies at Yale University. George Bush grew up in Midland Texas.

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During the 1950s, fathers had relatively little to do with raising their children. Barbara Bush (right) became the authority figure in the Bush household, taking care of everything from emergency hospital trips to entertaining kids during neighborhood parties at the house.

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In 1961, George W. left the freewheeling Texas lifestyle for puritanical New England, where he followed in his father's footsteps by attending Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. George W. told during one interview that his father had a "huge influence on my life." That influence continued as the younger Bush followed the pre-determined path set by his father and attended Yale University.

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Former enlisted Air Guardsman George W. Bush (left) has his second lieutenant bars pinned on by his father, George H.W. Bush during a September 1968 commissioning ceremony.

George W. Bush applied to join the Texas Air National Guard on May 27, 1968, less than two weeks before he graduated from Yale University. The country was at war in Vietnam, and at that time, just months after the bloody Tet Offensive, an estimated 100,000 Americans were on waiting lists to join the Guard units across the country. Bush was sworn in on the day he applied. He served as an F-102 pilot for the Texas Air National Guard 1st Lt. George W. Bush flew F-102 Delta Dagger fighter jets from 1970 to 1973 with the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Ellington Air Force Base, Texas. Anyone who flies in a high performance fighter is putting his A** on the line for country.

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Bush fulfilled two years of active duty and completed pilot training in June 1970. During that time and in the two years that followed, Bush flew the F-102, an interceptor jet equipped with heat-seeking missiles that could shoot down enemy planes. His commanding officers and peers regarded Bush as a competent pilot and enthusiastic Guard member. In March 1970, the Texas Air National Guard issued a press release trumpeting his performance: "Lt. Bush recently became the first Houston pilot to be trained by the 147th [Fighter Group] and to solo in the F-102... Lt. Bush said his father was just as excited and enthusiastic about his solo flight as he was."

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In Bush's evaluation for the period May 1, 1971 through April 30, 1972, then-Colonel Bobby Hodges, his commanding officer, stated, "I have personally observed his participation, and without exception, his performance has been noteworthy." He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Three months after meeting on a date arranged by friends, George W. and Laura Welch (fourth and fifth from left ) married on Nov. 5, 1977. Laura Bush: "In a lot of ways I guess I felt like I'd known him all my life without really having known him that well."

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His worked in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975, and worked in theenergy industry until 1986. In 1977, George W. Bush startled the political scene when he won the congressional primary against established candidate Jim Reese. After working on his father's successful 1988 presidential campaign, he assembled the group of partners that purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989.

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In 1981, George W. and Laura Bush added to the extended Bush clan when they had twin girls. They were named Barbara and Jenna, after their grandmothers. Over the years, the family retreat on the coast in Kennebunkport, Maine, became a place for the elder Bush to escape from the political landscape of Washington and a place of support for his son, George W., and his family.

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Cowboy George down on the Texas Ranch

Our cowboy and his girl , beautiful Laura

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In January 1995, George W. celebrated his inauguration as governor of Texas with Laura in a parade down Congress Avenue in Austin. In an historic re-election victory, he became the first Texas Governor to be elected to consecutive four-year terms on November 3, 1998, winning 68.6 percent of the vote.

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In 2001 George W. Bush became President of the United States of America.
And Commander in Chief of our wonderful armed forces.

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It’s a family thing, and we are glad.

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A chew toy away from the Presidency…….

Spot , Barney their cat India

President Bush’s Favorites: Color Blue Ice cream Pralines and Cream Pastimes Reading,
jogging, fishing, watching baseball games.

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September 11,2001

Terrorists strike our homeland MURDERING Americans as well as people from many other countries.

A man NOT a draft dodger, a MAN not a wimp strikes back in no uncertain terms.

A MAN to be respected by the entire world. Our Commander In Chief, President Bush.

President George W. Bush gives an emotional speech at the Pentagon
October 11, 2001

"Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated. " "Americans are asking: How will we fight and win this war? We will direct every resource at our command -- every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war -- to the disruption and to the defeat of the global terror network" "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. " "This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not just America's freedom. This is the world's fight. This is civilization's fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom. "

"The civilized world is rallying to America's side. They understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens may be next. Terror, unanswered, can not only bring down buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments. And you know what -- we're not going to allow it." All quotes by President George W. Bush

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His quiet confidence let our enemies know that they made a grave miscalculation.
Now, this same man who practiced his faith through a tough election,
who steeled his convictions even more in a drawn-out Florida battle, and who
never once gave in to the temptation to get in the gutter with his foes,
this same man now lifted the weight of the world and
the responsibility of a generation and put it on his modest shoulders
as though it were another unpleasant duty.

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[Soaring Feather]

Thank you Kathy

[BeachBelle]

Lovely fall arrangement, Tonk-

Thanks for adding such beauty to the Canteen!

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Thank you, Snow Bunny, for this salute of our President.

May all in our military know that we love them and that we love this President who loves and respects them, too!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Happy Direct Deposit Day! Enjoy and recharge! *HUG*

[Kathy in Alaska]

Always nice to see you IG. I hope you are completely recovered from your dentist visit.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Direct Deposit Day"

That's next Fri, I get paid every other Fri.
*HUG*

[Kathy in Alaska]

Woe, rockfish, awesome picture! Thanks for sharing. I'll bet some of our troops can pick out their ship.

[Kathy in Alaska]

OK, OK, so we can celebrate twice! I'm easily confused. LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning fellas. Thank you for flying your overflight of protection every day.

[Aeronaut]

Hi Kathy. Have a great weekend.

[tomkow6]

The British Aviation Authority used to test the
strength of windshields on planes using a device
that could fire out dead chickens at extremely
high speed.
The device was pointed at the aircraft's
windshield and if the chicken didn't break it, it
was assumed that the windshield would survive the
impacts of actual collisions with birds when in
flight.
British Rail had recently designed a new locomotive
and was testing various designs of windshields, so
they borrowed the device from the BAA.
Adjusting it to approximate the maximum speed of
the train, they loaded a dead chicken and fired it
at the first windshield design.
The chicken went straight through the windshield,
broke several components and left a huge dent in
the compartment door. Surprised by the result, they
asked a BAA official if they had done the test
correctly.
An engineer checked everything and suggested that
for their next test they defrost the chicken.

[SAMWolf]

U2 Bump!





The lack of information on the countries behind the iron curtain (A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the nations of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Block) led to much speculation and paranoia. At the forefront of these fears was the fear that the Soviet Union had been building a huge fleet of intercontinental missiles capable of penetrating the United States defense perimeter and delivering a nuclear bomb to any major city in the country. In July of 1957, the Soviets flew showed of a "several" wings of state of the art Bear and Bison bombers past American spectators. However, in truth this was actually the same flight group circling around them. These people brought word back to the US that the Soviets had a very strong air force.

The United States Air Force wanted to take immediate action to strengthen the American bombers and to create a tighter air defence perimeter. However, the Eisenhower administration would not take action until they had more hard evidence. Eisenhower funded a civilian based company, Lockheed, to create a super-light plane to fly above Soviet radar and collect information on their current military power.

The response to this call was the U2 spy plane. The designer behind the famous aircraft was Kelly Johnson. He made the aircraft as simple and lightweight as possible. The aircraft was completed within eight months and exceeded expectations. It had a flight radius of 3000 nautical miles, and a maximum safe altitude of 70,000 feet, 20,000 feet higher than Russian interceptors, making the U2 the most difficult plane to engage at the time.

Within months of the U2's creation, the United States had collected enough evidence to prove that the bomber gap did not exist. However, the CIA still feared that the Soviets had greater missile capability than America. It wanted the versatile spy plane to fly many risky missions over Russia to determine its nuclear status. The plan was to send a pilot in a strait line from one side of the Soviet Union to the other. Eisenhower rejected this plan, stating that if one flies in a strait line long enough, they're bound to be found; however, under pressure from the CIA, Eisenhower agreed. Gary Powers, an American pilot left Pakistan on May 1, 1960. Before sunset, Powers serving the first night of a ten-year sentence in a Soviet prison camp. The capture of Powers marked the end of espionage missions over the Soviet Union. After seventeen months, Gary was released in exchange for the release of a Soviet spy captured by America. The U2 spy plane also played a critical part in the discovery of Russian missiles in Cuba in 1962, and was even used in the Gulf War of 1991 to locate Iraqi SCUD missile platforms.

[MoJo2001]

I hate to admit this in public, but your new kittie katz are cuties!! Woohoo!!

[SAMWolf]

Soldiers watch from a half-mile away as the Army burns more than 1 million rounds of confiscated ammunition near Khost, Afghanistan (news - web sites) on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002. Demolition crews still had more than 2 million rounds of ammunition left to destroy. (AP Photo/Chris Hawley)

More than 1 million rounds of confiscated ammunition explode and burn during a controlled demolition near Khost, Afghanistan (news - web sites) on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002. Army demolition crews still had more than 2 million rounds of ammunition left to destroy. (AP Photo/Chris Hawley)

MPs ON PATROL — Sgt. Nicola Hall, 21st Military Police Company, Fort Bragg, N.C., and Cpl. Jill Osowski, 972nd MP Co., Massachusetts National Guard, observe a vehicle drive by their perimeter during a presence patrol in southeastern Afghanistan. They are two of the three female MPs conducting missions with infantry patrols in Afghanistan. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Reeba Critser, USA

.S. Army Spc. Jessica Briskie, assigned to the Combined Joint Task Force 180, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, gives a box of clothing to an Afghan gentleman as personnel from the 44th Task Force Combat Support Hospital, Bagram Air Base, prepare to give clothes and school supplies to the students and staff at Bagram Air Base High School Oct. 30, 2002. The Task Force's home unit the 339th CSH, Pittsburgh, Pa., and the surrounding community donated hundreds of school supplies, clothing and perishables to the children of Bagram, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Steve Faulisi

U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Libby Dillon, assigned to Task Force 44, Combat Support Hospital, and U.S. Army Spec. Jessica Briskie, assigned to the Combined Joint Task Force 180 hand out clothes and school supplies to the students and staff at Bagram Air Base High School Oct. 30, 2002. Dillon's home unit the 339th Combat Support Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa., and the surrounding community donated hundreds of school supplies, clothing and perishables to the children of Bagram, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Steve Faulisi

[SAMWolf]

An Ontarian wanted to become a Newfie (ie. a Newfoundlander). He went to a neurosurgeon and asked "Is there anything you can do to me that would make me into a Newfie?"
"Sure, it's easy" replied the neurosurgeon. "All I have to do is cut out 1/3 of your brain, and you'll be a Newfie." The Ontarian was very pleased, and immediately underwent the operation. However, the surgeon's knife slipped, and instead of cutting out 1/3 of the patient's brain, the surgeon accidentally cut out 2/3 of the patient's brain. He was terribly remorseful, and waited impatiently beside the patient's bed as the patient recovered from the anesthetic. As soon as the patient was conscious, the nurosurgeon said to him "I'm terribly sorry, but there was a ghastly accident.

Instead of cutting out 1/3 of your brain, I accidentally cut out 2/3 of your brain."

The patient replied "Qu'est-ce que vous avez dit, monsieur?"

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In Canada we have two Seasons six months of winter and six months of poor snowmobiling.


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An American, a Scot and a Canadian were in a terrible car accident. They were all brought to the same emergency room, but all three of them died before they arrived. Just as they were about to put the toe tag on the American, he stirred and opened his eyes. Astonished, the doctors and
nurses present asked him what happened. "Well, " said the American, "I remember the crash, and then there was a beautiful light, and then the Canadian and the Scot and I were standing at the gates of heaven. St. Peter approached us and said that we were all too young to die, and that for a donation of $50, we could return to the earth. So of course I pulled out my wallet and gave him the $50, and the next thing I knew I was back here."
"That's amazing!" Said one of the doctors, "But what happened to the other two?"
"Last I saw them," replied the American, "the Scot was haggling over the price and the Canadian was waiting for the government to pay for his."

[Soaring Feather]

Funny SAM thanks!

Oh, what is cote gonna say????

[Soaring Feather]

Oh Sam

I love these photos of the girls handing out hand made clothing, (no doubt hand made) by an American!

And for the guys, blow them up guys, give them what for, then let them try something!