I know you all visit B5, but.....

You have to go today. He was interviewed on MSNBC's Connected, and it's really awesome! There's a link to the interview, and links to a bunch of great milblogs (which I'm sure you've all seen, but maybe not). Way to go Matt!!!

Remember....

Captain Colin P. Kelly Jr., USAF, was a hero. Just a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Clark Field came under attack again. Somehow, Capt. Kelly was able to get his B-17, only partially loaded with 3 600-pound bombs, in the air during the attack. At an incredible 22,000 feet, he targeted- and sank- the Japanese cruiser, Ashigara.

On the way back to Clark Field, he was attacked by Japanese flying ace, Saburo Sakai. Sakai was, and still is, a legendary fighter pilot. In over 200 missions, Sakai never lost a wingman, and is credited with at least 64 confirmed ariel combat wins. Capt. Kelly's plane was hit repeatedly by Sakai, and after one of his waist gunners perished, he ordered the rest of the crew to jump. As the 6th and final crew member bailed out of the plane, it burst into flames and blew up, killing Capt. Kelly. The rest of his crew survived the attack, even though some were captured by the Japanese and spent the rest of the war as POW's.

Due to his selfless acts of courage, he is often referred to as the first hero of WWII, and received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on Dec. 10, 1941.


This past week another Collin Kelly became a hero.




Nine year old Collin Kelly from Framingham, MA was inspired to plant flowers on the gravesites of veterans at his local cemetary. He was bothered by the thought that our Revolutionary and Civil War Soldiers may no longer have family members around to remember them today. Originally he was going to plant marigolds, but red geraniums were eventually chosen in honor of a tradition started during the Civil War. Women often left them near the bodies of deceased soldiers at Civil War battlefields.

The cemetary refused his request, citing regulations that planting flowers on gravesites must be approved by the family members of the deceased. After a week of public outcry, and the intervention of an OIFII vet, Marine Cpl. John Grigg... Collin's request was granted. Although he was not permitted to plant the flowers without specific permission of family members (some of which contacted Collin and gave their permission), he was allowed to temporarily place potted geraniums on each of he nearly 200 veteran gravesites at Edgell Grove Cemetary. Next year, Collin and Cpl. Grigg plan on making this project involving Collin's whole school. What a kid!

This child, this 2nd grade child, has so much respect and honor for our country and the men and women who gave their lives to protect the freedoms we so readily take for granted. You may have heard about the push to make July 4th "National Flag Burning Day" by some of the so-called adults in America. How ironic... our men and women have fought and died for their right to do this. Sgt. B has already written about this situation, and offers this eloquent response: "So, to the protestors I say: Go ahead, burn the Flag... Exercise your rights... For every Flag you burn, I shall replace it, times ten..."

Take a moment today to visit the gravesites of our vets, and leave more than just your thoughts and tears. Leave a flag. Leave a flower. Show your thanks and appreciation, and Never Forget.

The people shall rise up and call them Blessid

Blessid Union of Souls, that is.... They SOOOOO ROCK!

Last night I went to dinner with my friend Karen, and then we went to the Taste. Taste of Cincinnati, that is. A HOOOOOOOOOOGE food-fest and concert venue. They close down the streets in downtown for Memorial Day weekend and have this huge festival. I haven't been in years.... it seems to rain here a lot over Memorial Day weekend, plus it's pretty expensive. Oh, but the food... and the entertainment.. SO GOOD!

Last night's headliner was Blessid Union of Souls, a Cinci band that made the big time. They frikkin' ROCKED. They played selections from their new CD, Perception, and some of their big hits, like "I Believe" and "Let Me Be The One", and "Hey Leonardo" (better known as "She likes me for me") ( love those songs... oh man.. so GOOD. We had a blast- dancing, singing and drinking in the streets.

And we had a little food too- incredible fried green tomatoes from Mike Fink's (an Award of Merit winner), and a Cincinnati classic- sauerkraut balls- from Black Forest. I didn't get to sample the Best Damn Dish, a Thai dish called Tom Kha Gai. I was Too Damn Full by the time we found their stand because we actually ate dinner before we went down there, because it's Too Damn Expensive to eat dinner at The Taste.

The lastest from the Dumbass Files...

It's just a MOVIE, morons.....

Proof that some Star Wars geeks really are incredibly brainless. Hat Tip: Smash

Cinci's going national

Cincinnati has had some national news exposure over the past couple of days... and not necessarily in a good way. Important to know about, but not necessarily good news.

First....
The headline read "Brother beaten to death by baseball-bat wielding sibling". Oh joy.... Hyde Park is the neighborhood that "everyone" wants to live in around here. A few days ago, two brothers got in a fight, and one ended up dead. This kid was just a couple of weeks away from graduating from high school, and his brother beat him to a pulp with a baseball bat instead. Their house is near Hyde Park Square, a trendy little shopping strip and park. There's a great fountain in the middle of the park, and a very cool fire station. The brother that delivered the killing blows walked from their house to the Square, washed off some of the blood in the fountain, and then walked over to the fire house to tell them that "someone" had killed his brother with a baseball bat. How incredibly sad... And considering this family's social status... it just goes to show you that ALL kids, no matter what their socio-economic background is, are at risk for violent behavior and serious control issues.

Second...

We lost another local soldier, Lance Corporal Nicholas Erdy. His funeral was yesterday, and the streets were lined with people who didn't know this young man or his family, but wanted to show their respect. This is the second one in a week around here- the first, Taylor Prazynski, was eventually buried at Arlington, and Matt at Blackfive has a really nice post about him. They will be sorely missed by their family, friends, and our local communities.

I hope you all are planning a Memorial Day tribute to our soldiers- and not just a drunken BBQ. Remember what Memorial Day is all about, ok? God bless America, and God bless our military. Rest in peace, Nick and Taylor. God be with you all.

That's just scary....

Subliminal Koolaid put this picture up on his site... scared the crap outta me. How about you? *cue theme song for The Twilight Zone*

Movie Tag- You're "It"!

Barb, a Righty in a Lefty state, tagged me with a movie blog-poll. Here goes nuthin!

1. Total number of films we own on DVD/VHS:

Oh man... considering that the DVD player holds 300, and we've had to weed some out- I'd say we have at least 350 DVD's. VHS tapes- much less. Probably around 75. Keep in mind that we have these two little boys, and we all love watching Disney movies, so we have just about every one. We only have about 2 dozen grown-up movies (NOT of the "adult" variety, thankyouverymuch).

2. Last film we bought:

I just pre-ordered Gunner Palace from Amazon. I can't wait!!!

3. Last film I watched:

Last Friday night we went to see the new Star Wars movie... TOTALLY awesome movie. Changes the way you view Darth Vader, that's for sure.

4. 5 films I watch a lot or mean a lot to me:

Hmmmm.... that would be two different lists, because I watch primarily Disney movies with the kids, but they don't necessarily mean a lot to me. And rather than bore you with a list of 5 for each, I just listed a few.

I love watching "xXx"- that's my current favorite movie. And "What Women Want". Oh- and "Pretty Woman". sigh... Vin Diesel, Mel Gibson and Richard Gere... sigh....

Favorite movies around the house right now are "Monsters, Inc.", "Lilo and Stitch", any of the Star Wars movies, any of the Spiderman movies, and "The Incredibles".



And now for my next victims... (cue sinister laugh)

ALa
That Dude from Philly
Frenchy
Neil
and Sgt. Lizzie

Let's see who plays along....(or has the time to, since Neil and Sgt. Lizzie are active, but not deployed right now).

Lt. Pantano... CLEARED!

Thank GOD cooler heads have prevailed in the case of 2 Lt. Pantano, and he will NOT be charged with murder!

"Down at the unit level, there was never a question about Ilario's conduct and whether or not he did the right thing," Charles Gittins, Pantano's civilian lawyer, said. "It was up in the higher echelons. The people removed from combat situations needed to put more trust in their officers rather than assuming they're guilty."

In case you've forgotten, 2 Lt. Pantano was accused of "murdering" two Iraqi's who made menacing moves toward him and repeatedly refused his orders to halt back in April 2004. Granted, he did riddle them with 60 bullets, and then hung up a silly sign over their heads, but COME ON! Get real... and FINALLY the Marines did. His fellow Marines wanted the charges dropped, and, like I said, cooler heads prevailed.

Welcome back, Marine! Go get 'em!

What kind of military aircraft are you?

I know... I know... another quiz. But it's so cool! I found it at Trekmedic's site.

What military aircraft are you? F-15 Eagle You are an F-15. Your record in combat is spotless; you've never been defeated. You possess good looks, but are not flashy about it. You prefer to let your reputation do the talking. You are fast, agile, and loud, but reaching the end of your stardom.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Gawd... I crack myself UP!

OK- not really, but I am kinda bored today, so finding jokes on the internet is helping me pass the time. I found this and it cracked me up!


Different Ways To Say ''You're Stupid''

A few clowns short of a circus.
A few fries short of a Happy Meal.
An experiment in Artificial Stupidity.
A few beers short of a six-pack.
Dumber than a box of hair.

A few peas short of a casserole.
Doesn't have all her cornflakes in one box.
The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's dead.
A few feathers short of a whole duck.
All foam, no beer.

The cheese slid off her cracker.
An intellect rivaled only by garden tools.
As smart as bait.
Doesn't have all his dogs on one leash.
Elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor.

Forgot to pay her brain bill.
His antenna doesn't pick up all the channels.
His belt doesn't go through all the loops.
If she had another brain, it would be lonely.
Missing a few buttons on his remote control.

No grain in the silo.
Proof that evolution CAN go in reverse.
Receiver is off the hook.
Surfing in Nebraska.
Too much yardage between the goal posts.
Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
The lights are on, but nobody's home.
24 cents short of a quarter.

Ba-Dum-Bump!

I'm kinda bored today, so I started looking up jokes...

What do you say to a man with 5 penises?
Your pants fit like a glove!

What can a bird do that a man can't?
Whistle through his pecker....

What's the square root of 69?
Ate something.

What did the sign on the whorehouse door say?
Beat it! We're closed....

What do you call a bunch of women who hang around prostitutes?
Support Hos

What did the fish say when he hit a wall?
DAM!

Why don't cannibals eat clowns?
Because they taste funny.

Why are cowgirls bowlegged?
Because cowboys eat with their hats on...

What do you get when you wear a corduroy condom?
A groovy kind of love

What should you do if you come across an elephant?
Apologize, and then quickly wipe him off.


OK... that's enough for now. Anyone else got any good ones? (or bad ones...LOL)

The Dog Ate My Homework... I Swear!

So last night, I got home from work and my eyes were feeling dry and tired so I went upstairs to take my contacts out. I had just taken one out when the phone rang. I quickly took the other one out, placed it in the case, and ran to answer the phone. I left the case open, because I wasn't done putting solutions in it.

After a 5 minute call, I started back to the bathroom. RING! The phone rang again.. I turned around... answered it. This time, a 10 minute call. I hang up... head back to the bathroom. RING!!! DAMN! again? Jeez... I'm popular tonight...

This time, it's my Mom. Who I love dearly, but will talk your ear off! Another 15 minute call... during which I heard one of the cats in the bathroom up on the counter drinking from a cup of water. (they like that... what can I say?)

However, when I returned to the bathroom to finish putting my contacts away, I discovered that the cat was NOT in fact drinking from a cup, but WAS DRINKING FROM MY CONTACT CASE! Oh My GOD! One was missing, the case was void of all saline solution, and one partially shriveled up contact was lying on the counter. WTF? Who knew? Apparently cats like saline solution.

I told my husband that if he sees a little piece of blue circular plastic in the litter box, not to worry. It's just my contact....

Kosovo video

I saw this today on Barb's site, and had to laugh. OH MY GOD.... so funny!

The House of Mouse

As you all know, (as evident from the piles of TP we had to clean up upon our return), we recently went to DisneyWorld to celebrate Mr. Sister's 40th birthday. It's the first time Kevin has flown since he was 18 months old, so he got a real kick out of flying. He loves "hairplanes", so being on a real one was a thrill! He was disappointed though when he found out that the flap extenders were *not* missiles waiting to be fired! ("Mommy... when is the plane gonna fire that missile?" "um...sorry sweetie- that's not a missile" *shoulder slump* "oh...ok")

And he couldn't figure out how our luggage could be "underneath" the plane, since there was only sky and the ground "under" the plane. Once I told him the luggage was "in the basement of the plane" he was fine again... LOL! Such sweet innocence!

Anyway.... We had a great time! We stayed at The Wilderness Lodge (I highly recommend it). Our room had a balcony with a perfect view of Cinderella's Castle- we could watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our room every night! That was awesome, because Kevin's not a big fan of fireworks close-up. On the first day, we had breakfast with characters from Mary Poppins and Winnie the Pooh. Then, we went to MGM. I, yours truly, was chosen as an audience extra for the show! It was so cool! They dressed us up in costumes, and we had to react to the stunt show action going on around us. It was a blast! We also went to the luau at the Polynesian Resort that night- very cool.


We went to Epcot the next day, where they were having a special spring flower show. Topiaries of characters and special floral displays were everywhere. The colors were astounding! We also had dinner with the Princesses that night at The Akershus House at Epcot. Wonderful food, by the way.

We spent the next day at Animal Kingdom, ate breakfast with the characters, went on a safari on land an by river, and even got to see the parade, which was really cool. Some of the floats were like the animal "costumes" used in The Lion King Broadway show, and some were vehicles, on which the Disney characters rode. I also highly recommend the "Tarzan Rocks!" show- VERY cool!

At the Magic Kingdom, we saw tons of characters- Chip & Dale, Timon, Power Rangers, Smee and Captain Hook, Buzz Lightyear, and Minnie Mouse, among others. And somewhere in there we rode rides too, like Mickey's Barnbuster, the Buzz Lightyear ride, and the Indy cars.

It was a blast...a great trip I hope the kids will remember for a lifetime!

The whole famn damily at DisneyWorld

I'll write up a little summary of the trip- hopefully tonight, with links to more pix.

The Beaners at Epcot

Notice the Stitch topiary right behind them. The whole park was covered in special floral displays and topiaries. It was sooo pretty!

Were-Kitty in DisneyWorld

Disney pix!

OK... I know I just posted a quiz- thingy, but...

I really liked this one too.


Your element is Light: Innocent, beautiful,
kind-hearted and pure. You are so sweet your
almost angelic, you find joy in others
happiness and cannot stand to see anyone in
pain. You want to make everyone around you feel
good about themselves and if someone is upset
you can tend to become rather upset as well
which means you are sympathetic and raise
others above yourself. Being as kind and
good-natured as you are people have most likely
hurt you in the past but you pick yourself up
every time. You may look fragile but you are
stronger than most tend to see. Life is
beautiful no matter how you look at it and you
understand that people make mistakes, not
everyone is perfect. You try to see the good in
the bad which is a talent few posses, dont ever
let anyone change you. You truly have a
beautiful soul inside and a heart of gold.


What is your true element?
brought to you by Quizilla

A Very Quick Quiz

What is the signifigance of your birthdate?

Your Birthdate: September 14

With a birthday on the 14th of the month (5 energy) you are inclined to work well with people and enjoy them. You are talented and versatile, very good at presenting ideas, and you are also very good at organization and systematizing. You may have a tendency to get itchy feet at times and need change and travel. You tend to be very progressive, imaginative and adaptable. Your mind is quick, clever and analytical. A restlessness in your nature may make you a bit impatient and easily bored with routine, and rebel against it. You have a tendency to shirk responsibility.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Get 'em Currie!

I've been involved in several discussions about women in combat, both on ALa's and at the Castle. Many compelling arguments have been made- on both sides of the coin. Now there is a bill before Congress which could possibly take this decision out of the hands of the US military and put it in the hands of politicians. How stupid is that? Politicians dictating who can hold a gun or a job- just because of their gender? Isn't that a blatant violation of the ERA?

I understand both sides of the argument- I really do- but I still feel that women should be given the SAME opportunities as men to put themselves in harm's way. If you're going to join the military- be prepared to fight. Even if you never fire your weapon in combat- you must be prepared to fight. In this day and age of not really having a "front line", anyone and everyone is in danger of being injured or killed while deployed.

Enough of me- Currie says it all for me.

and one more thing......

I'm going to DISNEYWORLD!!!!!

YIPPEEE!!! Mr. Sister turns 40 on Tuesday, and his parents gave us a trip to Disney to celebrate. We leave tonight...be back on Wednesday. I'm leaving the keys to the house under the doormat, but if you have a party- be sure to send in the clean up scruples, ok?

Live Like You Were Dyin'.....

I'm not much of a country music fan, but every once in a while a song comes down the pike that speaks to me no matter what style it is. Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dyin'" is one of those songs. It's like an interview with a man who was diagnosed with cancer in his early 40's, and how that diagnosis changed his outlook on life. Here are most of the lyrics:

"Asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end.
How's it hit ya, when you get that kind of news.
Man what ya do.
And he says,


I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fu Manchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.

He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all the sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the good book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then.

Like tomorrow was a gift and you've got eternity
To think about what you do with it,
What could you do with it, what can
I do with it, what would I do with it."


I want to know what you would do....how you would live if you were dyin'. I can't say that I'd go skydiving, but I'd want to go up in a balloon ride again... to see the balloons over Albuquerque in October. I don't know that I'd climb a mountain, but I would want to see some- like the ones Keith has been taking pictures of in Afghanistan, and the Panjshir Valley. I don't know that I'd take a ride on a bull, but I would love to get behind the wheel of a race car! I'd try to be a better Mother and Wife, and try harder to keep in contact with old friends. Oh, and I'd travel... I would go to Africa and see wild lions and giraffe's. I'd take a ride through the canals of Venice; sit in a cafe in Paris in full view of the Eiffel Tower; pay my respects at Ground Zero in NYC and go visit Washington, DC again. Go to Miami, Houston and Puerto Rico to check up on the places I've seen during national disaster assignments with Red Cross. And I'd impart as much wisdom and love on my family and friends as I could.

What would you do?

From the "HowInTheHell" file......

An undercover Orange County police officer is suing a Florida hospital for negligence following the injection of... GLITTER.... into his nether-regions following sinus surgery in 2000. Yes... GLITTER. A few months after the surgery he had a 4" X 4" mass removed from his butt, which was full of "green and red sparkling material".

Good thing it wasn't lipstick.... I swear honey! I have NO idea how that got in my ass....

YIPPEEEEE!!!

Red Six has posted pictures and more Fallujah stories. And if you know me, you KNOW how much I love a good TINS! There's video too. sigh... so happy Neil is safe, but even more happy he's posting again!

You've just gotta see this

I was reading Blackfive this morning, and got directed to this site: Firepower Forward.

Go take a look.... you'll be glad you did.

The Power of Prayer

American Soldier is going through a really rough time. He's missing deployment due to a serious injury requiring surgery and a long recovery (hit numbers 1 and 2) and then...this past weekend his 2 yr old daughter was hospitalized with RSV (hit 3).

BAM BAM BAM....Three sucker punches in a row. So go visit and keep them in your prayers.

Around the world

Well, I've been trying to figure out how to host pictures on my site, but haven't really had to the time to perfect it. Hopefully, I will this weekend. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some linky love... Enjoy!

Herobracelets.org is a GREAT idea! And now you can request special bracelets for deployed soldiers- not just the deceased ones- even better!

John Donovan provides a link to Michael Yon's site, and also adds a wonderful poem to an incredible picture.

American Soldier, one of my favorite milbloggers, is down for the next 6-8 months, and none too happy about it. So is Redleg, who is recovering from the broken leg, but has been denied deployment with his guys. Stop by and offer up some luvin!

Lt. Currie offers up details of his recent trip home, along with some other interesting stories.

And just for kicks, here are some links to some of my favorite milblogs, in no particular order:

Red2Alpha

....and his wife, Frenchy.

Maj. K

Smink (he's back now, but wow.... go read his archives and pay attention to the current stuff too. GREAT writer)

and...last but not least: Michael.

MY WAR

OUTSTANDING!

The long-awaited book by Colby Buzzell is now available for pre-sale on Amazon! Can I just say that this is the most anticipated book to hit the country in a long, long time? Colby told me that there is more in the book than was in his blog, so if you're expecting just a re-hash...it's not happening. I, for one, am glad about this. We all knew there was more happening than what he was able to write about- even though he got his hand slapped for what he DID publish. Amazing....

The current publish date is October, 2005...only 5 short months from now.