A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....02-06-03...A Pit Stop by John Huang

JohnHuang2, Billie, Dutchess | JohnHuang2

[dutchess]

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

We now have eleven groups of veterans/active military; we will post each group of three or four twice a week, with thumbnail/links of the remaining seven or eight groups on each thread. Click on any of the thumbnails below to see the group full-size.

         

GROUP 5A: TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68. MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797. BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack.

GROUP 6A: 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.

GROUP 7A: 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.

GROUP 8A: 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.

      

GROUP 9A: 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.

GROUP 10A: TOP: dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon. BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

GROUP 11A: 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.

                     

\

Honoring the seven astronauts who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, jets fly over the crowd in a missing man formation during a memorial service at the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003. White House photo by Paul Morse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Pit Stop in Texas

by JohnHuang2

Bush spoke movingly at the memorial service in Houston's Johnson Space Center Tuesday, a ceremony in honor of the seven Columbia astronauts killed tragically Saturday minutes before their scheduled Florida landing.

In words both somber and hopeful, consoling and defiant, Bush saluted the daring heroism of the crew, 7 fearless frontiersmen of space whose high-spirited lives of quest and adventure tragically ended in the morning skies over Texas. So poignantly true-life his portrait capturing their vivacious spirit, Bush's words reached out to heaven and brought our hero seven, one by one, back down to Earth, here among us if ever so briefly -- a fleeting, yet quiet pitstop before resuming their voyage eternal.

"Each of these astronauts," said Bush, "had the daring and the discipline required of their calling. Each of them knew great endeavors are inseparable from great risk, each of them accepted those risks willingly, even joyfully, in the cause of discovery."

Bush, his stature grown to hero status in the wake of 9/11, has braved the latest jolt of tragedy seemingly unruffled, his calm and steady poise reassuring a nation girding for possible war.

Indeed, almost from the moment George W. Bush set foot in the White House, his leadership has been tested. And, on each occasion, with grace and eloquence, wisdom and style, he's more than met the challenge head on.

If ever existed a textbook case of exemplary leadership in times of crisis, the kind of guy you would want at the helm during days like these, President George W. Bush would have to be it. Against the greatest tests and challenges, he rallies the nation together, with unflinching courage, he takes command with bold and decisive steps early on, seizing the initiative, buoying hopes with fierce determination as he resolves to remain resolute, regardless how thankless, how joyless, how unrequited the task.

Bush is a shoulders-to-the-wheel President, self-possessed, unwaveringly iron-willed -- displaying a mettle and grit, valor and boldness in his discharge of duty equaled only to his unyielding sense of mission, virtues rare in an age of polls and focus groups and 'moist-finger-to-the-wind' politics.

Passionate yes, yet a master of his passion, strong and resolute, always a leader, mindful not to let events or emotions spiral out of control, his feet at all times planted firmly on the ground. At times like these, our nation demands a leader, and challenges and problems have, for this reason, more than met their match in George W. Bush.

Bush's enemies, hoping the loss of Columbia and the search for clues in the painful aftermath would derail war plans, fail to grasp an essential ingredient of Bush's character: Purposefulness. The course of action he's chosen is firm and final, undeterred by outside pressures and events, the guiding mission of his Presidency redeeming his pledge to win the War on Terror.

Our seven Columbia heroes would have it no other way.
God bless them, God bless their families,
and God bless the United States of America
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway, that's...

My two cents..

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 02-03-03 Homeschool Mama 02-04-03 Sauropod 02-05-03 ST.LOUIE1 Birthday

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.
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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 an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

I plege allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, One Nation Under God, With Liberty and Justice for All.

[LadyX]

"Then it looks like she's gone back to her old ways.....hijacking threads again. Detention? Time Out? Lockup? Slow boat to Cuba? The punishment must fit the crime, any suggestions?"

Hey, Billie....
The room was empty, it was, and I was trying to nurse things along for ya...:>( sniff, sniff..

ingrate - - - might have to TAKE THE BOAT TO THE SOPAC SALOON and pout...

[Billie]

:)

Arne says sentence you to a neo-Reb Civil War thread for two hours. :) I've still got to read the comments, Ba'have now! :)

[Billie]

There are enough rottis for all of us - guest writers and all! LOL

[ArneFufkin]

I don't recall that person ... but I swear old Freeper "Ash" stopped in under a new handle yesterday. I can always tell, because he became impatient with the idiocy rampant in one of our patented out of control threads and addressed the group as "You people ..."

[LadyX]

"Sentence her to a neo-Reb Civil War thread for two hours."

My forebears came to Carolina (as it originally was named) in the 1600's, Arne.

This Daughter of The South would relish the engagement.
Qualify for the DAR and the UDC and the CAPABLE, you see..:))

(Okay - Daddy was born in Pittsburgh, but had the good sense to move to Orlando, Florida when he was 10.
I can just see you twisting the resulting 'balanced' to 'unbalanced' - LOL)

[LadyX]

" but I swear old Freeper "Ash" stopped in under a new handle yesterday."

No - say it isn't so !!!

NOT AN ASH ALERT !!

Next you'll say Navigator and Don Morgan are among us..:))

[MeekOneGOP]

I have a crush on Carlsbad Caveman! He is w-a-a-y cool! Will ya give him my pichur and send me his?

LOL ! Sure, but I only have ONE picture of him. He's a little shy, poor fella...

He...he...he...
hello, Silly Shelly...

What'd I tell ya? He's stuttering now...

---

Here is CarlsbadCaveman's cousin, Fred and his friends, Barney and the Bedrock Tourist Guy...

[ArneFufkin]

FYI ... the President's making an unscheduled announcement LIVE RIGHT NOW!!!!!

[lavaroise]

Whooha! That is a nice tribute to some tough people who sadly had to bite the dust.

One day I'll fly in one of those. I heard that with a bit of money and off the shelf technology, one can launch himself in a home built rocket. I can't wait.

They did not do it in vain.

[FreeTheHostages]

lol, "patented out of control threads:

LOL!

[LadyX]

"To: LadyX

Arne says sentence you to a neo-Reb Civil War thread for two hours. :) I've still got to read the comments, Ba'have now! :)

142 posted on 02/06/2003 4:08 PM EST by Billie

Gee, Billie, I was mostly good this morning...:>(
In Freep mail, FreeTheSausages and I were contemplating how we could utilize her tagline - Free Louie, etc., for starters.

She came through at 1:05 p.m. with Free Thin Man, following last night's flow.

I posted da pups, and Aqua and Gail gave weather reports.
Then at 2:06, Thin Man joined us!

Free-dum and Thin Man and I carried the load a whole hour, until 3:10 when Arne came to help.

We thus 'freed' the hostesses so they could have a breather - do lunch - get powered up for the later long haul when folks get off work and flock in.

Now you wanna ban-ish me?!

Sheesh - I take it back - I'm not sorry..:>( !!! ...:))

[lavaroise]

.... and maybe JohnHuang2 will come to describe the launch...

Anyways, thanks for your service to America, JohnHuang2

[LadyX]

"FYI ... the President's making an unscheduled announcement LIVE RIGHT NOW!!!!!"

Thanks, Arne.
I was aware an hour before it, glued to Fox News Channel much of the time, and listened to it.

[lavaroise]

Histories: The Missing Man Formation

"The Missing Man Formation"

Looking heavenward you cannot help but shed a tear... mournful... lonesome... a hole that screams out almost as loudly as the roar of the engines that pass overhead.

This is The Missing Man Formation... perhaps the most magnificent and solemn aerial manuever ever seen. Whether flown with the wingman spiraling off into the great beyond, or, flown consistently with that awful hole where a buddy should be... this dignified, almost painful to watch manuever is a part of POW-MIA and combat history.

The genesis of this manuever is one shrouded in years of faded memories, long fought battles and countless missions almost a century old.

Rumored to have begun when British fighter pilots flew over the funeral of Manheim 'The Red Baron' von Richthofen as a sign of respect by his fellow aces, the formation does find its birth in World War I. At some point during the Great War, the RAF pilots created an aerial manuever known as 'The Fly Past'... whether this was before or after the alleged von Richthofen loss is unknown. But it is British in origin and it was used infrequently and privately during the War.

The 'Fly Past' remained a private affair... returning aircrews signaled to the ground their losses upon their return. The first written account of the manuever shown publicly is by the RAF in 1935 when flying over a review by George V. Prior.

During World War II, it morphed and evolved into a ceremonial tradition as part of RAF programs. The US first began the tradition in 1938 during the funeral for MG Westover with over 50 aircraft and one blank file. The 8th Air Force with her legion of Flying Fortresses, the Bloody Hundredth and other combat weary groups adopted the manuever when returning home from a 'milk run.' Again, it signaled to those on the ground the losses incurred during the last mission... and held a place of honor for their fallen comrades.

The Missing Man formation, as used in the United States, was rarely if ever seen by the public. Only those privileged to attend military funerals and ceremonies were familiar with it. But during the Second Indochina War, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the public at large got its first glimpse of this sobering moment.

The first time a military aerobatics unit ever performed the Missing Man Formation was during the war in 1969 when the USAF Thunderbirds flew the manuver for the first time to honor the men and women who were then POWs in Vietnam. Other aerial demonstration squadrons, both military and civilian, have adopted the formation and perform it during ceremonial events such as National POW-MIA Recognition Day, Memorial Day, during funerals and at the interrment of repatriated remains of Prisoners and Missing. Aside from the fixed wing manuever, a rotary wing version is flown by National Guard and Reservists with exceptional beauty and solemnity.

Perhaps it is fitting that the true history of this exquisite yet sad tradition should be unknown... its history with those whom it honors and is named for... Missing.

Artwork: AII POW-MIAText Credit: History - AII POW MIA/USAF Historical Archives/Thunderbirds Archivist/RAF Historical Archives Images Courtesy of: USAF Photo Archive

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[lavaroise]

I guess the British started it

The History of The Missing Man Formation
	Pilots fly this magnificent and solemn aerial maneuver for presidents, potentates, astronauts, and other pilots of note as a tribute and showing of love, respect, and camaraderie for a brother pilot. This maneuver is sometimes flown with the wingman spiraling off or it is flown consistently with a hole where another should be.
This formation has been rumored to have begun when British fighter pilots over the funeral of Manheim "The Red Baron" von Richthofen as a sign of respect by his fellow aces.  The formation does find its birth in World War I.   It is British in origin and it was used infrequently and privately during the War.  The first written account of the maneuver shown publicly is by the RAF in 1935 when flying over a review by George V. Prior. During World War II, it evolved into a ceremonial traditions as part of RAF programs.  The United States first began the tradition in 1938 during the funeral for MG Westover with over 50 aircraft and one blank file.  The Missing Man formation in the United States was still seldomly used until the Second Indochina War, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia when the public at large caught its first glimpse. The USAF Thunderbirds were the first military aerobatics unit to ever perform the maneuver.  They flew it for the first time to honor the men and women who were then POWs in Vietnam.  Aerial demonstration squadrons have now adopted the formation and perform it during ceremonial events such as National POW-MIA Recognition Day, Memorial Day, during funerals and at interrment of repatriated remains of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action.

 

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[FreeTheHostages]

I'm backing up LadyX -- yes, we were only pretending to misbehave. :) That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The Thin Man is *too much fun:* I think HE should be banished to a Civil War thread for being so witty.

[FreeTheHostages]

It is touching. I shed a tear when I saw it done for the Columbia astronauts. I shed a tear when I saw it at the Andrews Air Force Base airshow not long after 9/11. It's almost a talismanic visual image.

[LadyX]

Glad to see you here today, lavroise, and very much appreciate the thoughtful post of the history of The Missing Man Formation.

With my years in the Marine Corps and as a military wife, this was a sight seen too often, always evoking tears and the deepest of respect.

It would be the greatest of things if those who oppose or vilify the military had just an inkling of the devotion and sacrifices made every single day by its members, dedicated to ensuring peace through vigilance and willingness to act.

The idea that peace will come about only by wishful thinking and opposing those who thus must carry the Heavy Loads has seen the demise of too many nations and groups of persons.

Stopping there, before I really rant - - -

[FreeTheHostages]

Godspeed.

[FreeTheHostages]

{{Pippin}} I'm watching the NYC rideboard for you.