You find yourselves in the unfamiliar position of having to quietly sit talking among yourselves while waiting on Lethal who is rarely if ever late for the issue’s presentation. Even Diaman and Ginny seem to know nothing regarding the cause of the delay when queried.

This has given you time to note the many extra unfilled seats in areas of the room, patron’s and general seating. The staff and CyberLethals have been polite but insistent that the first two seats in every row remain empty in accord with their instructions from Lethal.

Suddenly the sounds of a band striking up a march enters the conference room, both from the hall and from the speakers about the room as the screens become live showing a long shot of the empty hallway leading to the conference room. Now in addition to the band you hear an upwell of voices, male and female united as one calling out loud and proud in a cadence:

The Warrior Song

As the cadence starts you see an honor guard followed by flags begin to appear from a side hall 3 flags flank each side to the Stars & Stripes, one each for the 5 Branches of the armed services and the black and white flag honoring our POW/MIAs. Directly behind them leading a host of Veterans 4 abreast each proudly marching to the best of is ability and/or disability are two grizzled but somehow vaguely familiar figures, one a Marine Officer, one an Air Force NCO.

As the color guard enters the room the Air Force NCO barks out the order, “Color Guard! Wheel Right…WHEEL!” The right side man marks time in place turning slight with each step and the left side man slowly begin a swing to the right. Once they are in prefect line abreast again they flawlessly still in synchronized step once again begin moving forward. This repeats with precision as each set of flags enters the room followed by the the Officer and NCO who after making his turn calls out again in a loud voice “COLUMN! Right Wheel Turn… WHEEL!” The same flawless execution is performed by the Veteran’s whom you see are dressed in all manner of garb.

Some wear khakis, white shirts and ties appropriate to their branch of service along with blue blazers and overseas caps denoting them as members of a specific post of the VFW. Others wear their dress uniforms to various degrees, some are simply in slacks and sport coats whose lapels bear American Flags and the Insignia of their Service Branch. Other wear the BDU of activity duty service men and women. There are more than a smattering of medals worn on uniforms, ribbons about necks or small depictions pinned to lapels on these people.

Finally there are those veterans of a different breed. These are dressed in denim, heavy boots, T-shirts of various Patriotic messages or in support/reminding us of our POW and MIAs over which  vests are worn. Many of these grizzled vets sport long hair and/or beards, Tattoos with the names of unpronounceable locations and dates from the 60s & 70s many of their vest announce their affiliation with motorcycle groups, some even the Patriot Guard. Most of these men have one thing in common, a haunted look in their eyes speaking to some unknown horror they have witnessed and will never stop seeing in their minds, the look their brothers call ‘the thousand yard stare.’

As you have been taking all this in the Color Guard has marched to its position in front of the stage now flanked to either side by the Honor Guard, As the first of the Column of Veterans arrive at the head of the seating area the Air Force NCO (whom you begin to suspect of having eyes in the back of his head) again bellows out a rapid fire set of orders which are instantly obeyed: “DETAIL! HALT!…Detail- ATTEN-SION! REN-DER HON-ORS!” Crisp salutes are snapped and held while tears mist in some of the Vets eyes and a few throats are cleared as all the service flags and the POW/MIA flag dip in honor of the American flag before the NCO again speaks “Two! DETAIL! PUH-RAID REST!” Moving as one and sound as one giant boot. the vets assume a more relaxed posture, feet shoulder with apart, hands crossed at the small of their back.

The Officer and NCO now salute each other then split heading for the stairs at each end of the stage and momentarily disappear behind the curtains at either side of the stage. However instead of reappearing at the podium it is the familiar figures of Lethal Leprechaun and Impish Dragon who emerge seconds later from behind the curtains to stand at the podium. They both gaze proudly our from the stage misty eyed each issuing nods of recognition to certain individuals as eyes meet before Impish calls out “AT EASE! Be seated”

Lethal steps to the podium and begins:

Ladies & Gentleman of the readership, my brothers and sisters in arms,

The term ‘Ex-soldier’ is a gross misnomer we have been led to buy into by our Government and especially the liberals who would have us all caged behind a sign reading “Break Glass Only in Case of War.  Well I stand here to tell you that:

There is no such thing as an ‘Ex-soldier’.

That title and our ranks are EARNED by us, never just given to us and what you earn is yours FOREVER. Our government knows this but prefers we didn’t or at least didn’t believe in it and the oath we took for it so deeply. THAT is why they fear us, want us disarmed using any feint that can come up with, and why under the ‘Napolitano Doctrine of Homeland Security’ they label us ‘Potential Homegrown Domestic Terrorists.

However we soldiers took a sacred oath. We swore to protect and defend the United States of America against ALL enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC. While today is about honoring and supporting those who served and those who presently serve, it is also a chance for Veterans to come together to remind our Government that they only Govern us at the sufferance of WE THE PEOPLE, that their might is in actual fact OUR might. That our Founding Fathers INTENDED that the Government fear us, to prevent the sort of Big Brother Tyranny we slide presently closer to with each day.

It is about sending them the message that we answered a call to arms once and we can again if they make it necessary for us to do so to keep our sacred oaths.

Ladies and gentleman of the readership, I ask you to stand and join with me in applauding these Veterans and thanking them for their Sacrifice and Service. God Bless them and keep them safe from harm and God Bless the United States so that they may never have the cause to keep their oaths domestically.

Ladies and Gentleman- Please put down your mugs and stand for our National Anthem, that for which our Veterans have stood for, stood by and stand for, sung by a Veteran.

National Anthem, Full Version! Four Verses, Lewis Shaeffer

This is one of the very few times a year that you will see anything in one of my issues come before coffee. That alone should demonstrate the level of  reverence for  and depth of love I hold for  our country.

Yesterday marked the 240th Birthday of the United State Marine Corps

smile.amazon.com – Wounded warrior support

AmazonSmile

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?

Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?

Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

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On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

Can I change my charity?

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Get it straight: The difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day

(CNN)We are here to make sure you don’t embarrass yourself.

Inevitably, someone says something demonstrating confusion over the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Allow us to explain it to you.

Memorial Day: Celebrated the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is the holiday set aside to pay tribute to those who died serving in the military.

The website for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs recounts the start of Memorial Day this way:

“Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.”

The passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 by Congress made it an official holiday.

Veterans Day: This federal holiday falls on November 11 and is designated as a day to honor all who have served in the military. According to Military.com, Veterans Day began as Armistice Day to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918.

“In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the urging of the veterans service organizations — amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans,” the site says. “With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.”

A joint service color guard sets the POW/MIA table during Eglin’s POW/MIA remembrance ceremony

For those who cannot read the print on the graphic:

This table is our way of symbolizing that members of our profession of arms are missing
from our midst. They are commonly call POW’s or MIA’s We call them brothers.
They are unable to be with us and so we remember them.

The Lyrics:

We sing songs about our freedom
We always keep them in our prayers
We wave our flags and bow our heads
Support our Soldiers over there
But all across this nation
Probably right in your home town
There’s a group of weary Soldiers
With their world turned upside down
We asked them for their lives and they agreed
Now their asking for the benefits
That they thought were guaranteed
We sent them off to fight on foreign shores
But now they’re casualties of a bureaucratic war
With every flag draped procession
With every tear and every prayer
We remember those who gave their lives
For every battle we declare
But all across our nation
Probably right in your hometown
There’s a group of broken Heroes
Because their country let them down
We asked them for their lives and they agreed
Now their asking for the benefits
That they thought were guaranteed
We sent them off to fight on foreign shores
But now they’re casualties of a bureaucratic war
We sent them off to fight on foreign shores
Hey America
Let’s give our Veterans something more.

Well OK- sometimes we wear ponchos and those are a little like capes

We honor those people that serve and protect our country, and we know that without the men and women who watch out for us, we would not have any of the luxuries we do. We are the land of the free because of the brave and we salute you!

Vietnam Wall

First click on a state.  When it opens, scroll down to the city and the names will appear.  Then click on their names.  It should show you a picture of the person, or at least their bio and medals.

This really is an amazing web site.  Someone spent a lot of time and effort to create it.

I hope that everyone who receives this appreciates what those who served in Vietnam sacrificed for our country.

The link below is a virtual wall of all those lost during the Vietnam war with the names, bio’s and other information on our lost heroes.  Those who remember that time frame, or perhaps lost friends or family can look them up on this site.  Pass the link on to others, as many knew wonderful people whose names are listed.

http://www.virtualwall.org/iStates.htm

This was sent to me last week and given the timing I couldn’t help including it here.

While “Cleaning of the Stones” at the National Cemetery in Holly. I noticed a quarter placed on one of the stones. Later I also noticed a nickel placed on another,stone, I was so touched with this that I took pictures. (sorry the nickel did not turn out) I Goggled about the coins, and found this out. I am very proud to share this.

A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldiers family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respect. Leaving a penny means you visited.

A nickel means that you and the deceased soldier trained at boot camp together. If you served with the soldier, you leave a dime. A quarter is very significant because it means that you were there when that soldier died.

I AM VERY PROUD TO SHARE THIS.

I’m sorry whom ever originally wrote this bit of fiction was proud to share it because frankly he’s proud of his lie.

From Snopes [ http://www.snopes.com/military/coins.asp ]:

Regarding the ‘tradition’ of soldiers leaving on the headstones of fallen comrades varying denominations of coins to denote their relationship with the deceased, the earliest reference to this practice we’ve found so far dates only to June 2009, when it appeared as a web site post. The version now commonly circulated in e-mail appears to have been drawn from it, albeit some changes have slipped in, such as “A buddy who served in the same outfit, or was with the deceased when he died, might leave a quarter” becoming “By leaving a quarter at the grave, you are telling the family that you were with the soldier when he was killed.”

Despite the claim of this tradition’s dating back to the days of the Roman Empire, there’s no reason to suppose that it does. A coin might be placed in the mouth of a fallen Roman soldier (to get him across the River Styx), but his comrades wouldn’t be leaving their money on his grave, but rather expending it on a funeral banquet in his honor.

Given the lack of evidence that anyone anywhere is following this ‘tradition,’ it is perhaps best regarded not as an actual practice, but instead as someone’s idea of what should be.

Yet military folk do sometimes leave very special remembrances at the graves of deceased servicemen: challenge coins. These tokens identify their bearers as members of particular units and are prized and cherished by those to whom they have been given; thus any challenge coins found at gravesites were almost certainly left there by comrades-in-arms of the deceased.

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue – Toby Keith

Ode of Remembrance

The “Ode of Remembrance” is an ode taken from Laurence Binyon’s poem, “For the Fallen“, which was first published in The Times in September 1914.

For the Fallen was specifically composed in honor of the casualties of the British Expeditionary Force, which by then already suffered severely at the Battle of Mons and the Battle of the Marne in the opening phase of the war on the Western Front. Over time, the third and fourth stanzas of the poem (usually nowadays just the fourth) have been claimed as a tribute to all casualties of war, regardless of state, and it is this selection of For the Fallen to which the term “Ode of Remembrance” usually refers.

The “Ode of Remembrance” is regularly recited at memorial services held on days commemorating World War I, such as ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day, and Remembrance Sunday. In Australia’s Returned and Services Leagues, and in New Zealand’s numerous RSAs, it is read out nightly at 7 p.m., followed by a minute’s silence. In Australia and New Zealand it is also part of the Dawn service at 4.28 a.m. Recitations of the “Ode of Remembrance” are often followed by a playing of the “Last Post”. In Canadian remembrance services, a French translation^[4] is often used along with or instead of the English ode.

The line Lest we forget, taken from Kipling’s poem “Recessional” (which incidentally has nothing to do with remembering the fallen in war), is often added as if were part of the ode and repeated in response by those listening, especially in Australia. In the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, the final line of the ode, “We will remember them”, is repeated in response. In Canada, the second stanza of the above extract has become known as the Act of Remembrance, and the final line is also repeated

The ode is also read at the Menin Gate, every evening at 8 p.m., after the first part of the “Last Post”. It is mostly read by a British serviceman. The recital is followed by a minute of silence

Ronald Reagan A Soldiers Pledge Listen Learn Remember

A very inspirational speech by Ronald Reagan. This is what a President is supposed to sound like. Listen, learn and remember who we are!

The Eerie Forest of Lost Soldiers

In the forests surrounding the Neva Bridgehead area in Russia the trees carry a deep scar of history. All through the forests are the remnants of war.

Quite literally, the trees in this forest grew around in the war. From 1941 to 1944 the nearby city of Leningrad was under siege and the Neva Bridgehead was the staging ground for many of the assaults on the city. leaving behind weapons, bombs, and equipment from both sides.

The saplings on the ground grew up and found there way up, around, and through the things that were left behind.

You’ll Feel Proud to Be an American After You Listen to This Soldier Choir

Homeless Veterans: Stand Down

Some veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan  are finding themselves homeless. Scott Pelley reports on an annual encampment in San Diego where veterans can find hope, help and services.

It might be a long watch but its probably the most important thing in this entire issue. Remember these are all 2010 figures. PLEASE watch listen, think and help.

We are here today honoring in part those who fought and are fighting to prevent this from happening by terrorism and external threats. Don’t let our government and  those who demand we follow their laws in our land make it happen from the inside.

We used to ‘Kill A Commie For Mommy,’ now we should ‘Feed An Islami Some Hammy For Uncle Sammy’!