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Thank you for serving our kids. It’s much appreciated. (But please tell me you’re not a teacher with manners and an attitude like yours.)

And make fun of them all you want, but you know as well as I do that those silly traditions are steeped in military history. Nice that there are still places where ridiculous things like that even survive. Would think they might be appreciated by someone who prides himself in serving military families ... especially at Ft Hood where those guys still wear their Stetsons and ride horseback. Whatever.

And you’re right ... I don’t usually peruse these sports threads. I was coming here to congratulate the Bears on their win ... two schools on the Brazos River knocking off the #1 teams two weeks in a row. I thought it was kinda cool ... until I read these comments.

I’m over it.

You do realize that A&M is still one of the most conservative universities in the nation and one of the most difficult to get into. A&M was ranked 3rd in the nation for military academies this year, behind only West Point and the Naval Academy.

There have been tens of thousands of Aggies out there defending your freedom in uniform over the years ... my husband being one of them. He’s returning from his 13th deployment as I type this and may actually make it home for Thanksgiving this year.

You might want to think about that the next time you throw all that venom at the maroon and white.

... Not to mention that at almost every A&M ‘away’ game this season, we have received kudos for being the friendliest visitors most of the teams have ever hosted.

And Johnny Football is just fun to watch. What football fan out there cannot appreciate that talent?

Why all the anger? Isn’t Baylor a Baptist university? You know ... Christian ... love your fellow man? Yeesh.

Your ‘real college’ comment is very telling.

You do realize that A&M is still one of the most conservative universities in the nation and UT one of the most liberal. A&M was ranked 3rd in the nation for military academies this year, behind only West Point and the Naval Academy.

There have been tens of thousands of Aggies out there defending your freedom in uniform over the years ... my husband being one of them. He’s returning from his 13th deployment as I type this and may actually make it home for Thanksgiving this year.

You might want to think about that the next time throw all that venom at the maroon and white.

... Not to mention that almost every A&M ‘away’ game this season, we have received kudos for being the friendliest visitors most of the teams have ever hosted.

And Johnny Football is just fun to watch. What football fan out there cannot appreciate that talent?

Why all the anger? Yeesh.

I apologize for my post coming across as negative. I do completely agree about the tenderness of the photo and how it reminds us all of how incredibly difficult this is. But for those of us who have been there, done that over and over again, fighting the overwhelming urge to do this very thing, well ... it’s tough to see. If commanders actually allowed this for all who wanted to hold a hand, there would be no formation, by definition.

By the way, FortWorthPatriot ... Your screen name is making me homesick. Can’t wait to get back to Texas. When my hubby retires from the Army in two years, we’re moving back to God’s Country asap.

Extra tough to see this for those of us who have had to hold crying kiddos (up through teenage years) as we watch Dad in formation, readying to go to the sandbox for multiple tours. We would all like to be out there holding Dad’s hand. Great photo if it makes people stop and think about the sacrifice. I just hope my kids don’t see it.

Yep. That’s it! (We add a bit of cinnamon and cloves too.) Absolutely love it. We make sewian (thanks for the correct spelling) as a good-luck dish for all holidays and family birthdays. Wish I could get a bowl of it to you right now.

IFK, I rarely post on this forum (because of security concerns as a military wife), but I do spend many hours lurking and feel as if I truly know so many people here. Thank you for being here, especially now.

My heart goes out to you, your family, your friends, and your countrymen. Part of my heart is always with India. My husband’s father is originally from Mumbai but emigrated to America back in the 1960s. This day of Thanksgiving will be even more heartfelt for me and my family, as my husband is currently deployed with the US Army in Afghanistan ... he is missing our traditional American dishes of turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie, along with our also traditional Indian dishes of sewaian (sp? sweet vermicelli) and homemade curry. My children and I are all too aware of sacrifices made for the War on Terror against these vermin, and today as we partake in the sewaian and curry (my husband’s favorites), we will not only be praying for him and his fellow soldiers, but also for our Indian family and their/your countrymen in Mumbai.

One more way to increase the high-school drop-out rate and discourage even more kids from going to college. Any requirements for the slackers who choose to avoid school?

“That whole bottom paragraph is sad on so many levels.”

Yes, it is. And, believe me, up until about 6 months ago, I would have never even stepped foot near an ammo counter anywhere. But just last month I applied for a concealed carry license and purchased a handgun. Unfortunately, the crime rate in this town rivals some large inner cities. The racial divide is deep, and I feel that race relations have been set back 30 years in just the past few months. Sucks because I’ve never considered myself the least bit racist and never wanted my children exposed to the hatred of racism. I’m so ready to move from this place. As for me personally, my hubby is deployed right now and I feel a bit vulnerable, moreso with the political climate.

The glances I’m noticing are very weird, but more like everyone is noticing skin color and race again on a heightened level. I live in a town in Georgia with a very large AA population ... and a military post. Great combination. I would have expected all kinds of celebrating from the AAs, but I’ve seen nothing. For this Texas girl, the Deep South of Georgia sucks.

And my trip to Wal-Mart yesterday was interesting. I went straight back to sporting goods to purchase a few more boxes of ammunition. There were two white guys ahead of me doing the same (I am a white female). We all just kind of looked at each other, speaking volumes without even saying a word. The guy behind the counter was a very nice black kid, personable and helpful. But one comment he made really stuck with me. He said, “I’m starting to get a little nervous. There’s been a lot of people buying up ammo today.” His concern, although said in a light-hearted manner, was palpable.

Does anyone here think that maybe Obama inadvertently said something during his victory speech that broke the hypnotic spell he had cast over so many ... making them wake up Nov 5 wondering just what exactly they had done? Just a thought. The silence here in Georgia has been deafening too.

By the way, forgot to add ... amazing letter.

As others have said, there is still some hope for everyone. Last year my then 17-year-old daughter constantly spouted off, “I hate Bush” and “this war sucks” and “how can we go over there and fight and then say we want peace” blah, blah, blah. I realize that she hated anything to do with the war because the war has taken her dad away from our family way too many months to count (active-duty Army). And in many ways, because of what our family has been through over the past 7 years, it hurt that much more to hear a soldier’s daughter spout that garbage.

Well, she’s in college now and shared with me something that happened in her history class last week. The class is comprised of about 75% black students (with a lot of them wearing Obama shirts daily). The professor asked the class for their opinion on why Obama continues to run as a “black man” when, in fact, he is as much white as he is black. While the kids are sitting there trying to come up with an answer (duh!), my daughter pipes up from the back row, “To hide the fact that he’s Muslim!” She said that everyone in the class just turned around and glared ... except for the professor who had a smirk on his face, a white kid on the front row who gave her a somewhat concealed thumbs up, and the active-duty soldier sitting next to her who gave her a “You go, girl!” I was floored. She’s been listening (and has since forgiven her dad for being gone during so much of her teen years).

What about all of those absentee and early voters? There are hundreds of thousands or millions voting early. Those votes are already lost. McCain needs to let fly with whatever he has, sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately there are plenty of military who support Obama, although not nearly a majority. But if the MSM is looking for them, they are definitely there. Remember that the vast majority of troops are 18-22 and not very politically astute. They are also tired of being deployed away from their young families, and Obama represents CHANGE. Also, a LOT of support troops are black. And, yes, a lot of them support Obama. Take this from someone who is living on a military base in Georgia.

Allegra, you are fortunate to work with America’s finest every day, and I don’t doubt for a minute that everyone over there hates Obama. My husband has served in a SpecOps unit for 10 years, and 99 percent of the guys he works with, and their families, are die-hard McCain supporters. But these guys are patriots and soldiers through and through. Unfortunately not everyone in uniform is a patriot. I’ll leave it at that.

San Leon wasn’t on the dirty side of Ike, but it did get slammed hard. There is talk of 10 ft of water in some houses, some houses knocked off their slabs, some houses completely destroyed. I don’t want to start rumors, but just passing on what I’ve read ... In addition to the previously mentioned 3 missing, there is talk of one man, Bill Devine (appx 81 yo), who refused to leave. The first floor of his home was blown out by the water, and he is now missing. This was reported by his neighbor who went back in to check on the area. Her house was completely destroyed.

There is a very informative forum hosted by KHOU. So tragic to read, but a lot of good info there. Go to http://www.khou.com/forums/ and click on “Other Galveston County” and then “San Leon” for info. It doesn’t sound good.

Yep, you are definitely within walking distance. They live one block north of San Augustine. Speaking of hummingbirds ... my mom said the last things she would take in when the weather started getting bad were her hummingbird feeders. She wanted to leave them out for the little guys as long as possible :o) I’m sure they’ll all be finding their way back soon. Again, thanks for posting what you’ve seen.

Hey, texasredtop. Just had to come out of my lurking mode to let you know how thankful I have been for your posts on this thread. My folks, brother, and nephew live in DP. My parents actually live within a mile or so of you (near the corner of San Augustine and Luella). I grew up in DP but married a soldier and only get back to the area occasionally (currently living in Georgia). Anyway, thanks for your updates. I’ve talked to my mom a couple of times since Ike plowed through, and they’re fine. Same as most in the area ... fence and tree limbs down, but that’s about it. My mom did say that she found a baby squirrel out in the yard, so she’s trying to keep it warm and fed. And my brother has a scared dove hanging out in his garage. A couple of little silver linings.

We lived in Galveston a few years ago (hubby did a residency at UTMB), and of course I grew up spending a lot of time at the beach, so our heart is breaking as we watch the updates. Continuing to pray for those in the Bolivar/Crystal Beach areas. So tragic.

And these kids are the “lucky” military brats. They are able to attend a DoDEA school on the military post, where there is such an amazing support network. Our three children unfortunately had to attend high school on the “outside,” off the Army post where my husband is stationed, in a not-so-military-friendly town ... and let’s just say that there were several teachers who couldn’t care less about deployed parents. They often interjected their anti-Bush, anti-war views in the classroom, causing my kids to essentially “shut down.”

As wonderful as our children are, I do view them as casualties of this war. Unfortunately each of them went from being honor students to struggling through drug problems (mild to severe), something I never ever thought we would have to deal with. They have all come out the other side amazingly well (Thank you, God), but the teen years, with a father deployed multiple times, have been a nightmare on so many levels for our family.

But having said that ... let me also add that I feel that there is nowhere else I would rather be than supporting my husband and taking care of his children during this time in our country’s history. My husband is my hero on so many levels ... and so are our children.

Thank you for being there for PMMD81. The fear she is feeling is unfathomable for those who have not experienced it. I know that fear ... from a military wife's perspective. (My husband has deployed 4 times in support of the WOT.) Please tell PMMD81 that the chances of her son being involved in this incident are very low at this point. If he had been a casualty, she and her family would, in all likelihood, have been contacted by now. The military is very good about shutting down all communication coming out of the area of operations when an incident like this occurs and contacting family members before publicly announcing casualties. My thoughts and prayers go out to PMMD81. And thank you again for being there for her.