|
Post by CooL HanD on Mar 27, 2008 12:50:15 GMT -5
Posted by Tazz: Click HereThose girls and they way they sang the anthem are the reason why I am proud to have served my country in the U.S. Army. If that didn't put a lump in your throat then you need to rethink your status as an American!! God bless those little beauties...
|
|
iamme
Full Member
Posts: 211
|
Post by iamme on Mar 27, 2008 17:41:37 GMT -5
Beautiful, that is truly a wondrous sight and sound.
|
|
|
Post by CooL HanD on Mar 29, 2008 21:41:25 GMT -5
Dear Marines,
I worked nights as a waitress, paying my way through college, in Honolulu during the early 80s. Between work and school, I didn't have much time to meet other people, and my family was thousands of miles away. Several Marines frequented the bar, and one GySgt. of a Marine sniper platoon, Larry Hatfield, sensed my shyness and invited me to participate in a lot of Marine recreational events. We became close friends, but I could never understand how a person could look through a scope and willingly kill another human being. As a Quaker, the very concept of a sniper troubled me. I was raised that killing is always wrong - period. I often told him, and the other guys in the sniper platoon, my opinion on this. They usually remained silent on the subject.
As time went by, I lost contact with the Marines I knew from that sniper platoon, but I was privileged, later on, to be invited to produce tours as a volunteer (USO/AFE) for Marines on various bases overseas. Those of you who have met USO/AFE entertainers know that we are nowhere near the combat zones, and are in fact well-insulated from the horrors of war. We have fun entertaining you; we love eating with you at the mess halls or sitting out in the dirt and hearing your crazy jokes; we do our handshake tours of hospitals and PR tents and feel good and then are lucky enough to go home while you stay behind.
But Iraq was different. For the first time I found myself weeping at night after I came back from doing handshake tours. I couldn't adopt the USO maxim of looking the Marines in the eyes and shaking hands on the hospital tours, because there were teenage Marines with no hands and no eyes. A bomb at a well while I was there on my last tour left 200 women and children dead or injured at the hands of their own countrymen. The image of a Marine, badly wounded, struggling to carry a small 3 yr old girl to safety is forever seared in my mind.
I wondered - a lot - about the kind of sacrifice that it takes for a person to volunteer in the Corps and experience this kind of tragedy on a regular basis.
Iraqi women refugees would tell me, through translators, about how the Kurdish women would throw their infants from trucks on their way to being executed by Saddam Hussein in the hope that strangers would raise the soon-to-be-orphaned children, and how often it was only the U.S. Marines and military units who would help them get medical care if they did survive the terrors inflicted upon them.
This is what I have learned about war and the Marines: that I have never seen a U.S. senator cry while telling me about holding a dying friend in his arms, and there's precious few senators who come home from work missing a leg or two.
That I have never heard a U.S. congressman tell me what it's like to pass out soccer balls and writing paper to children who have been denied an education since birth.
That I have never heard any politician or corporate leader describe to me, as one Marine did after a show, that she wanted a better life for her child back home but wanted better lives for the children of Iraq, too.
Marines are living - and sometimes dying - for democracy, not just talking about it for the CNN cameras. They do their jobs, and come home, quietly, to go back to farming in Iowa or driving trucks in Kentucky, and, for the most part, don't talk about it. And God knows we civilians don't get an accurate picture back home of what is going on.
I still think killing is wrong, but I have come to understand that sometimes it is necessary and that lack of intervention, especially in humanitarian missions in oppressed nations, is tantamount to pulling the trigger on innocent civilians who only want what we want: a safe home for their children and food on the table and the right to be who they are.
I'm not naive enough to think that most of our political leaders go to war for compassion (I think most of them want to protect corporate interests), but I do believe, from knowing the Marines I have been lucky enough to know, that Marines act from compassion, decency, and with hearts bigger than most people will ever experience.
I understand now that a sniper - or any Marine, in any job supporting the ideals of the Corps - does what he or she does because the Constitution of the United States is not some remote piece of paper; the idea of freedom is real to a Marine.
As one young lance corporal told me, as he guarded us during a show set-up in a particularly volatile area (after our show had been cancelled the day before because terrorists had blown up another 27 children nearby), "Don't worry - we got your back."
It shames me to think that I had to leave my country on these tours in order to understand what precious gifts I have as an American, that every day, somewhere in the world, a Marine is watching my back. I never considered that a sniper, or any Marine, may be asked to kill in order to save innocent lives but now I understand.
So to all of you Marines out there, please accept this heartfelt thanks for what you do. To the guys from the sniper platoon in Kaneohe - this is a late apology for questioning you, and a thank you for what you have taught me, but I hope some of you read this. In our American culture, we don't talk much about being noble, decent, loyal and honorable. I have yet to meet a Marine who did not possess all of those qualities. You are the big kids in high school who didn't let the bullies hurt the little kids. If you are reading this from Afghanistan or Iraq or Camp Lejeune; if you are reading this from a V.A. facility; if you are reading this from your home, know this: that what you do is important. When you are feeling weary and discouraged, remember that there are people in the world living in freedom because of you. Not only the refugees from war - but me, too.
Sincerely, Laura Minor
|
|
hmmmm
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by hmmmm on Apr 5, 2008 20:37:53 GMT -5
WOW..And thats all I think I need to say.those little girls can sing.!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
Post by CooL HanD on Apr 9, 2008 8:28:17 GMT -5
What is an American patriot?
By Pat Boone
My dictionary defines patriotism as "love of country and devotion to its welfare." A patriot is "one who loves his (or her) country and zealously supports its interests." I agree with that definition. However, I think too many of us confuse patriots with heroes. We think they are one and the same, but I beg to differ. When I think of heroes, I think of Nathan Hale, who regretted he had "but one life to give for his country." I think of Adm. Farragut, I believe it was, who said, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" I think of George Washington praying at Valley Forge, and I hear Patrick Henry exclaiming, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" When I think of heroes, I think of Robert E. Lee, U. S. Grant, Davy Crockett, Douglas MacArthur, Andrew Jackson, Adm. Nimitz, Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Colin P. Kelly and the thousands of boys at Iwo Jima. Lenny Skutnik – I think I remember his name – surely comes to mind – the citizen who jumped in the icy Potomac to help rescue drowning passengers who otherwise would not have survived that Air Florida crash in Washington, D.C. I think of Ollie North, and even athletes like Tommy Moe and Nancy Kerrigan in the Olympics, Rafer Johnson and George Foreman, who raised American flags instead of clenched fists. But these are heroes, not just patriots. Men and women who rose to challenges, met crisis and physical danger, faced death and defeat – and won! They saved lives, conquered armies, dared mightily – stared death in the face – and became heroes. I think the true American patriot is something different. Oh, some American patriots may be public heroes, too – but I truly believe there is an American patriot who will never make headlines, be singled out for any award, or even be noticed by anybody but close family and friends. He or she will live a long productive, quiet, life – and be buried with very little fanfare. But this person is a true American patriot. He's an accountant who supports his family, takes them with him to church or synagogue, pays every nickel of his taxes – and advises his clients to do the same. She's a homemaker – a wife and mother – who not only raises and trains and nourishes her kids, but also is active in the PTA and Brownies and Cub Scouts and the Ladies Auxiliary. He's a gas station attendant who walks the precincts, getting out the vote – for city council members, not just presidents and governors. She's a high-school civics teacher who loves her subject and her students, and (for pitiful pay) actually awakens in some of them a sense of pride in America, and a sense of personal responsibility! He's a local preacher, not a nationally known TV evangelist, but a gentle, loving man who really is a Good Samaritan and somehow inspires folks in his little congregation to reach out to the hurting and needy around them. She's a volunteer – involved in a thousand worthy enterprises, political and social and humanitarian and spiritual – who gives and gives and gives some more, never expecting anything in return personally, just the satisfaction of having made a difference. He's a cop. He walks a beat and wears that badge, and he believes in those rules that hold a society together. He obeys and defends and preserves the law. Oh, he can be a little tough and cynical sometimes, because he sees so much of the worst of us – but he's risking his life every day, trying to give each of us a chance at the best in us. These – and so many others – are my idea of the American patriot. They're quiet, hardworking, honest, sharing, neighborly people. They vote, go to Sunday school, clog the freeways and subways, work two or three jobs and still volunteer for worthy causes, write their congressmen, buy American if they can, pray for their president (even if they didn't vote for him), and sing "The Star Spangled Banner" at public functions with a lump in their throats and a tear in their eyes. The rest of the world still envies America. And it's not because of our heroes – they have their own – it's because of the millions and millions of American patriots and what they've accomplished together. It's because of the American spirit – that contagious, colorblind, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural mysterious and dynamic "CAN DO" force that ties us together, that unites us into a family nearing 300 million people – but that also influences individual behavior, even when nobody's looking. Yes, that force, that spirit, has made us still the envy and role model of the whole world. But you can't buy it wholesale or in quantity. It comes in individual packages – and it's exhibited in lifelong, often anonymous, commitment – and each package I call an American patriot. I believe this story is true and share it with you by way of example. A very wealthy man was dying in my hometown of Nashville, Tenn. The few members of his family gathered close to be there in his last moments and hopefully to be remembered substantially in the will. When he died, a small but luxurious funeral procession was put together befitting the economic status of the deceased. But when the funeral cortege, the long black limousines following the hearse, arrived at the only entrance of the Nashville cemetery – they couldn't enter! There was a steady procession of people of all ages, many on foot, some in much more ordinary vehicles, in a far larger crowd of mourners, entering the cemetery at just that time, and they were blocking the entrance completely. The youngest son of the deceased wealthy man got out of his car and stomped up to the state trooper who was directing traffic. "What's the hold up here? We have one of the wealthiest and most influential men in this part of the country in our hearse, and we're being held up for a long time. What is this procession, and who are they coming to bury anyway?" The state trooper looked at the young man with a rather icy and almost pitying countenance. He said, "Son, I'm sorry you and your limousines are being held up this way. This crowd will be by in just a few minutes, and then I'll let you in. Who are they burying? Somebody I'm sure you never head of – she was a small woman, a crossing guard at a big elementary school here. She stood directing traffic, like I am right now, and helped thousands of kids get safely across the street to their classes and safely home after school. All these people are the grateful parents and relatives, teachers and friends, and many of them the kids themselves who are now grown up, coming to pay their last respects." He paused, then added, "It looks like more people knew her, and hated to see her go, than the folks in your limousines." That little nameless lady, that elementary-school crossing guard, is my idea of a true American patriot. She's the very kind of person, a hero in her own way, who makes America unique in human history. If you agree with my definition, look in the mirror – you may see another one. And if so, God bless you.
|
|
|
Post by CooL HanD on Apr 9, 2008 8:43:18 GMT -5
What Is An American? A primer.
By Peter Ferrara, an associate professor of law at the George Mason University School of Law. September 25, 2001 9:20 a.m. You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper there an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.
So I just thought I would write to let them know what an American is, so they would know when they found one.
An American is English…or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan.
An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them choose.
An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.
An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God-given right of each man and woman to the pursuit of happiness.
An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country. As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.
An American does not have to obey the mad ravings of ignorant, ungodly cruel, old men. American men will not be fooled into giving up their lives to kill innocent people, so that these foolish old men may hold on to power. American women are free to show their beautiful faces to the world, as each of them choose.
An American is free to criticize his government's officials when they are wrong, in his or her own opinion. Then he is free to replace them, by majority vote.
Americans welcome people from all lands, all cultures, all religions, because they are not afraid. They are not afraid that their history, their religion, their beliefs, will be overrun, or forgotten. That is because they know they are free to hold to their religion, their beliefs, their history, as each of them choose.
And just as Americans welcome all, they enjoy the best that everyone has to bring, from all over the world. The best science, the best technology, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best athletes.
Americans welcome the best, but they also welcome the least. The nation symbol of America welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed.
These in fact are the people who built America. Many of them were working in the twin towers on the morning of September 11, earning a better life for their families.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo and Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world.
But in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.
So look around you. You may find more Americans in your land than you thought were there. One day they will rise up and overthrow the old, ignorant, tired tyrants that trouble too many lands. Then those lands too will join the community of free and prosperous nations.
And America will welcome them.
|
|
|
Post by mastershake on Apr 9, 2008 21:22:31 GMT -5
all i know is this when we go to vote or type something on this site .i thank a vet not a senator or judge or the president.for all that have servered our great nation i say thanks and ^5 which seems so little for what they have done.they have more courage going in to harms way than i ever will.thats why they are my hero's.a hero is always running in when everyone is running out. thanks for reading just my little thought
|
|
|
Post by CooL HanD on Apr 13, 2008 11:24:13 GMT -5
Take a trip to an era in American history. If you enjoy browsing through America's history as much as I do, here's another link to follow... "America's Story from America's Library" wants you to have fun with history while learning at the same time. We want to put the story back in history and show you some things that you've never heard or seen before. The stuff you see comes from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The Library is the largest in the world and has millions of amazing things that will surprise you. You may think all those items are books, but in fact, most of them are not. They are letters, diaries, records and tapes, films, sheet music, maps, prints, photographs and digital materials. Much of what you see on America's Library will be those non-book items, and many of those materials are found only in the collections of the Library of Congress. Teachers refer to these types of materials as "primary sources." They are called this because these materials are often the first, or primary, source of information. For example, Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence tells us a lot about what went through his mind as he was writing this most important document. When you look at it you can see which words he and other members of the Continental Congress changed and compare it to the final Declaration. If you look at the contents of Abraham Lincoln's pockets on the night he died, you can get a glimpse into the life of the most famous man in America in 1865. Although these materials tell many stories, they do not tell everything. Books and other resources are also very important. We hope the stories in America's Library will make you want to explore further. That is why we offer links to the other parts of the Library of Congress Web site at www.loc.gov -- such as "American Memory," which offers millions of items online -- and why we encourage you to go to your local library and read more about your country's fascinating past. Tell your friends about this site and look and listen for special public ads about it on TV, radio and the Web. The Library of Congress and the Ad Council are partners in promoting this new Web site so that families everywhere can take advantage of this free public service.
|
|
hmmmm
New Member
Posts: 19
|
Post by hmmmm on Apr 13, 2008 16:00:17 GMT -5
Way cool..I love history,always have thanks CH
|
|
|
Post by Ynot on Apr 18, 2008 23:59:55 GMT -5
I got this on email the other day. I thought I'd pass it along. __________________________________________________
Letter from one 'Angry Woman'
I don't know who wrote it but they should have signed it. Some powerful words. This woman should run for president.
Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one ticked off lady.
'Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001?
Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?
Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?
And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was 'desecrated' when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.
I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.
I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia
I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for chopping off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.
I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide .
I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.
When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.
And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.' Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don't care!!
If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!
If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:
'Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem' -- Ronald Reagan
I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope you forward all this.
'If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under' Also by.. Ronald Reagan
One last thought for the day:
In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America , he said: 'A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.'
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: 1. Jesus Christ 2. The American G I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
|
|
|
Post by Tazz on Apr 19, 2008 0:00:04 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by CooL HanD on Apr 19, 2008 22:30:44 GMT -5
Awesome letter ynot, thanks for sharing...
|
|
|
Post by docdawg on Apr 20, 2008 21:52:13 GMT -5
Thanks Ynot, for the post and god bless are soldiers.
|
|
|
Post by CooL HanD on Apr 27, 2008 19:28:42 GMT -5
It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble. It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the VETERAN, not the politician, Who has given us the right to vote. It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag, It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag, ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM. We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve. Bless them all!!!
|
|
|
Post by CooL HanD on Apr 29, 2008 7:01:21 GMT -5
|
|