Giving Thanks

We have so many things to be thankful for as Americans. Since Thanksgiving comes on the heels of Veteran's Day, I spent some time at last night's Cub Scout meeting talking to the boys about duty to their country. I started off by showing them this picture:

I asked the kids what they saw:
"broken stuff" (the chunks of dirt and rocks at the base)
"a flag on a pole"
"army men"
I told them the were ALMOST right. They weren't Army men. They guessed "NAVY!". I said.. "VERY close!!" They said "MARINES!" I high-fived the little buggers. I told them there were 5 Marines and 1 Sailor in the picture. I then asked them if they had ever seen that picture before. They said no. I asked the parents if they knew what it was... I got one reply. "Well, I *think* I've seen it before, but I can't place it"

I.WAS.MORTIFIED.

Seriously. How could any American adult NOT recognize the USMC War Memorial??? I figured most of the parents would at least know it by it's common name, the Iwo Jima Memorial, but I was wrong. It's one of the most famous statues in our country, right up there with Lady Liberty standing in New York's harbor. How could they not know?!!??? Maybe I'm just more in touch with all-things-military than the general citizen, I don't know.

So. I told them. I told them how young those soldiers were. I told them not all of the men in that picture made it home alive- that half of them died right there on that island within days of the photo being taken. I told them how symbolic the flag raising was- we claimed that island back from our enemies with that flag. I reminded them that right now, we have thousands of men and women just like those six fighting for us in Iraq and Afghanistan, with my cousin and best friend's son being two of the thousands. I reminded them of their promise as a Scout to "do my duty to God and my country, to help other people", and how everyone who has ever served in the military has done just that.

Those boys now know what that picture represents. They understand a little bit more about the sacrifices endured by our military... and they're thankful for it.

We spent the rest of the meeting making Christmas ornaments. I told them they could make as many as they wanted, and if they wanted to make any for the soldiers, I would be happy to send them to Iraq on their behalf. Everyone in the room made ornaments for the soldiers. I left it up to them- they were not forced to "make one for yourself, and one for the soldiers". But yet they all made that decision on their own. I am SO proud of those boys.

My Scouts will know what it truly means to show duty to God, Country and Others. They'll get another taste of it in a couple of weeks when we participate in the Wreaths Across America wreath laying ceremony at the Dayton National Cemetery.

I will not be a part of raising a generation of children who do not know what it truly means to be an American or the things we have to be thankful for as a result of the sacrifices of our military.

Be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving.

Remember the Guardians

Hook remembers one in particular in his most recent post.
Remember... PFC Horace James
Once you read Hook's memorial post, you won't ever forget Ho.
Rest in peace, Ho. Your post has changed; guard the gates of heaven with honor and welcome those who will come after you to Fiddler's Green.

Veterans Affairs... or Veterans Affrontery?

CNN isn't my favorite news agency. Hey- I don't call them the Communist News Network for nothing. So many of their stories are sided AGAINST our military and our Republican government officials. Every once in a while, I'm surprised. Friday, I was surprised.

CNN ran a story about how our wounded veterans are receiving shoddy care and concern from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The story featured several wounded warriors, including Tammy Duckworth, Garrett Anderson and Ty Ziegel. Their stories are all different: Tammy lost both legs when a RPG ripped them both off and downed her Blackhawk helicopter. Garrett lost an arm and suffers from a traumatic brain injury. Ty literally had his face burned off, lost part of his brain and part of his right hand and most of his left arm. Each of them had problems getting the VA to treat their cases with proper respect.

Ty took his case directly to Washington to visit a few select officials. Barack Obama met him personally, shook his hand, treated him with respect and honor while listening to his story. Hillary wasn't there, but her staff was. In Ty's own words "They couldn't get me out of there quick enough", showed no respect or concern. Ty's original disability determination had him rated 80% for facial disfigurement, 60% for left arm amputation, 10% for head trauma, and nothing for his brain injury, right eye blindness or jaw fracture. Ty was featured by CNN earlier this summer. Within 2 days of the report, the VA changed his 10% head injury to to 100% traumatic brain injury. Ty's story has been in the news and all over the blog world for the past couple of years. His story and wedding- a wedding that occurred AFTER being injured, is not unknown. What was unknown to me was how underrated his initial VA determination was, or that his marriage is, sadly, now over. He's a strong kid; he'll be OK... as long as his brother, Zach, who just left for Iraq, doesn't have to jump through the same VA hoops he did. Ty says "I want to make the VA system better because if he has to go through anything I went through, that's really going to upset me. That'll make my fuse real short and hot".

Garrett Anderson was blown up by an IED, causing him to lose his right arm. His report? His shrapnel-riddled body was DENIED VA benefits because his injuries "were not service related." Jesus H. Christ.... how could ANYONE in their RIGHT MIND (or LEFT MIND) say that a GWOT soldier who was blown up by an IED, lost an arm, has shrapnel wounds all over his body, that his injuries were not service related????!!!! Apparently it's the same type of person who would eventually tell the same soldier that he suffered from a generalized anxiety disorder, not PTSD, because he didn't incur enough trauma to be traumatized? Garrett has also found out that he suffers from TBI, yet the doctors failed to even mention that little fact, much less treat it. It's been TWO YEARS since he was injured. Two years of TBI treatment that he has missed, and if it wasn't for being nosy and paging through his medical report, he never would have known. And he's not alone- I personally know two other GWOT vets with diagnosed TBI which went untreated because they were never told about the diagnosis. His VA settlement now includes his TBI diagnosis, but they still have not accepting his PTSD claim.

Tammy Duckworth made headlines immediately following her release from Walter Reed- she ran for Congress, fighting on a platform of Veteran's rights and VA reform. Tammy was piloting her Blackhawk helicopter when an RPG ripped through the floor underneath her feet, and exited out the top of the aircraft. She remembers trying to maintain control of her helicopter, but the foot peddles wouldn't respond... because she didn't have any legs anymore. Three years later, she has lost her bid for Congress but instead runs the Illinois Department of Veteran's Affairs, is back in the air again flying small airplanes in preparation for flying helicopters again.. and recently sent her husband off to war, leaving her behind, just like she did in 2004. I didn't support her run for Congress because I disagreed with many of her stances- except her dedication to revamping our veteran's health care system. Seeing her tonight has shown me a different side of Mrs. Duckworth. She is truly amazing and has earned my respect.

The current director of the VA is a disabled Vietnam Veteran. He seems to sincerely want to overhaul the system and prevent problems like these from occurring again. I hope to GOD they get it right.... SOON.

Insurgents still targeting children

I don't need to ask any of you if you remember Michael Yon's famous picture of the soldier holding a dying Iraqi child, victim of a bomber who waited until children crowded around our vehicles before detonating. You all know the story; you all know the photo.

It's still happening.
GODDAMN this pisses me off. 6 killed, including 3 US Soldiers and 3 children, plus 7 children hospitalized with injuries. Despicable.

Say goodbye to the Ol' Lefthander.. Joe Nuxhall

The Cincinnati Reds baseball organization has been shaken to its core today upon learning of the death of Joe Nuxhall, the Ol' Lefthander.
Joe was, and still is, the youngest MLB pitcher to ever play the game. He was only 15. One day he's pitching to kids; the next day... Stan Musial. Can you imagine it? Holy smokes.. my son is a 10-year-old pitcher. I just can't imagine him stepping onto the mound at The Great American Ballpark in 5 years, but Joe did. His parents let him sign the contract after he finished up the school year- junior high, mind you, not high school or college.

He went on to play and announce for the Reds, right up until Spring Training this year. He succumbed to pneumonia last night, at the age of 79, following several years of declining health due to cancer and heart problems.

I never met the man, nor did I ever see him play, but I've heard him call countless games, including several World Championships. I already miss his low, husky voice and down-home style of calling games. It is a sad day here in the Queen City.

Tonight the lights at the ballpark will go dark, except for the permanent sign in the park honoring his traditional game signoff, "This is the ol' lefthander, rounding third and heading for home", and a couple of spotlights shining on his statue out in front of the stadium.

See ya' at Home, Joe. Whenever that may be.

Valour-IT 2007

I have been VERY remiss in not posting this sooner. I've been a (ARMY) strong supporter of Project Valour-IT since, well, since before it was officially started. My blog-sister FbL directed me to Chuck Z's blog just weeks before his life was changed. He was seriously injured in an explosion in Iraq and was flown back to Walter Reed for care. During this time, he was unable to stay in contact with his friends,family, his guys in Iraq, or blog- his hands weren't very useful at the time. It took him hours to write a small post due to pain and a lack of useful fingers. He made a comment about how he sure could use one of those voice-activated software packages.... and that one little comment was quickly turned into Project Valour-IT.


FbL took it upon herself to start a fundraising campaign to get voice-activated laptops to other injured warriors. That effort blossomed into a Soldier's Angels sponsored project, called Project Valour-IT. FbL will tell you "it's nothing- and other people do the work now"... but those of us who know, know that this is HER baby. Recipients of the kits know this too, including Chuck. They'll tell you the project was named in honor of their fathers, but again, those of us who know, know that Chuck was the inspiration. If you could hear the emotion in Chuck's voice when he talks about receiving his software and how it changed his entire outlook on his recovery, you would cry like I did. If you could read all of the letters of thanks FbL has received since starting Valour-IT, you would give, and give, and give, just like the rest of us have.

Valour-IT provides not only the voice-activated software that Chuck originally received, but also an entire laptop computer, with case. Each set is valued at approximately $700. Valour-IT is a Soldier's Angels supported project, making your donations 100% tax deductible. Patients at Walter Reed, Brooke, Balboa, Madigan, Bethesda, Camp Pendleton's Naval Hospital and the Naval Hospital at 29 Palms have received well over a thousand kits since the fall of 2005.

Throughout this post, you have seen 4 donation tally buttons- each one dedicated to a different service. We have a little inter-service competition every year to see who can raise the most money for Valour-IT. I'm officially on the Army team this year, but as you can see, I really don't care which team you chose to donate through, just click on a team and make a donation. The recipients are all the same- US Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Coasties, and Airmen who have either temporarily or permanently lost the use of their fingers, arms, or eyes due to the GWOT.
Please help, not just now, but throughout the year if now isn't a good time for you.

*swoon*

I think I'm in love with the dear sergeant.


Smell that? THAT is what a world-class, A #1, HOOAH SMACKDOWN smells like!
No matter how bad your day is going..... stick together, fight the fight, and GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Thank you, Leta, for directing me to Sgt. Freedom's well-spoken, passionate rant.

Beyond bad judgement

A 19-year-old Goshen High School assistant football coach hosted a party recently, at which members of the football team and cheerleaders were present.
So was alcohol.
So were cameras.
Cameras which caught a 15-year-old cheerleader and her 19-year-old assistant cheerleading coach TOPLESS.

Good Lord.
This just goes BEYOND bad judgement. But wait!!!! It gets better (or worse, depending on how you look at it). The two topless bimbos showed the pictures around school, and they ended up getting posted on the internet. JOY!!
The story has been picked up by national news media outlets like MSNBC and Fox. MORE JOY!!

You know, it's one thing to throw a party for the kids you coach, but it's a whole 'nuther thing when you add alcohol and public nudity.
WHAT IN THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING??????

Thompson and Russert

Fred Thompson is on "Meet the Press" right now. I haven't caught, word for word, the entire interview, but here are a few notes:

1. Fred on Torture:
As long as the methods match the situation, he'd support aggressive interrogation techniques, but he would not support aggressive interrogation techniques during "normal" interviews.

2. Fred on Pakistan's martial law:
It's too early to make judgements; they're too important as an ally to make generalized condemnations of the current state of martial law.

3. Fred on Middle East:
We need to improve our intelligence, so that we can make better decisions about Middle Eastern threats than we have in the past. We could have made better decisions regarding Iraq's WMD capabilities if we'd had more reliable intelligence. He's reluctant to comment strongly on Iran's newly enforced state of martial law. He believes Bush is doing the right thing to resolve the war in Iraq, and will take whatever steps necessary to avoid the Dem's "cut and run" strategy. He's prepared to put international sanctions on Iran due to their nuclear program. He believes that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein and his sons in it. He acknowledges that we initially approached the war incorrectly (unclear RoE, not enough power, wrong strategy), but that those mistakes have been corrected and we're on the right path now.

4. Fred on Crime and Gun Control
Fred has no problem with disallowing parole for violent criminals, prosecuting three-time offending youth felons as adults, supports the death penalty, imposing mandatory life sentences for three-time adult violent felons, supports limiting liability and class-action lawsuits and overall torte reform, and supports repealing national speed limit regulations. When addressing gun control (VA Tech), he would allow colleges to bar students from carrying concealed weapons, but supports allowing qualified, licensed concealed-carry laws on campuses. He also voted to maintain our current gun laws, which allow guns to be sold without trigger locks, and is against forcing background checks at gun shows and imposing additional penalties on drug and gun crimes.

5. Fred on Abortion
Fred is against Roe v. Wade, but not because he's pro-abortion- he just doesn't believe that the government or court system should impose social policy for the nation. Fred would like to see abortion be decided on a state level, which is what we had prior to Roe v. Wade. He's been very consistent in voting on abortion issues- always voting pro-life- but also believes it's a personal issue that never should have come to a vote. He believes that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortions should not become a nationally illegal act. Putting scared young women in jail for having an abortion just isn't the right thing to do, according to Thompson. Personally, he believes life begins at conception but doesn't believe that life should be federally defined.

6. Fred on Civil Rights
Like abortion, he believes this is a state issue, not a federal one. He voted yes on a federal ban on same-sex marriage because, again like abortion, he is personally against same-sex marriages. He also voted for the amendment banning flag burning- something I am also personally against but feel is a Constitutionally-protected act of ass-hattery. He also voted against expanding the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (personal note: "hate crime" is a STUPID designation- criminal acts are crimes already by definition- why do we need to add the word "hate" to the crime in order to draw more attention to it? crazy.)

7. Fred on Terry Schiavo
Believes the federal government shouldn't have been involved. "The less government the better." Smaller government is a common theme to his approach with every internal issue the US faces- he believes that local and state governments should have more control over what takes place in their state than the federal government should.

8. Fred on Phillip Martin
Martin has pled guilty on drug charges, yet Fred uses his private jet for transportaiton during the campaign. He just learned about it yesterday, and will look into it before making any decisions.

9. Fred on Health
He's on a house-imposed diet which basically says "if it tastes good, don't eat it".
No wonder he's lost weight... so would I. HARSH!

All of the points above were discussed on today's show. Some of the stances presented were re-enforced/enhanced by research found on ontheissues.org.

Debunking The Armorer

John (lovingly, I'm sure) posted the differences between guns and wimmen-folk. Not that I take offense (it is in jest afterall), but I'd like to set the record straight. John's remarks are in brackets; mine in lovely, curvy, feminine italics.

Ten Reasons Men Prefer Guns Over Women


#10. You can trade an old 44 for a new 22. [This is utterly false. The Armorer never lets go of a weapon once it enters the books. That's why he has a *Collectors* license, not a *Dealer* license. I gather, not disperse.] John.. John.. John.. you missed the most obvious reason not to switch out your 44 for a 22: women become extraordinarily horny once they reach 40.

#9. You can keep one gun at home and have another for when you're on the road. [Only two? Pikers.] Sounds more like a Sailor than a Soldier, John. heh.

#8. If you admire a friend's gun and tell him so, he will probably let you try it out a few times. [True. I cultivate those kinds of relationships. It is true for the Armorer, as well.] True. I'll grant you that. But men- take heed: if a buddy admires your woman, take it as a compliment and an ego boost; not a request for a test drive.

#7. Your primary gun doesn't mind if you keep another gun for a backup. [The Armorer doesn't carry. That's what the tank is for. Okay, we don't have a tank. Yet.] Men, I recommend that you take your sausage hostage instead.

#6. Your gun will stay with you even if you run out of ammo. [True. That's why we get the bayonets. Hate to damage a stock, especially some of the antique stocks in which the wood is a little dry and might snap at the wrist when buttstroking your antagonist.] Ohhhh John... all that talk about buttstroking is getting me hawt, but I could do without the the dry wood. Just remember- if you run out of ammo, you do have other options for pleasuring your woman.

#5. A gun doesn't take up a lot of closet space. [Well, one might not, but, well, 30 do.] So... John... are you saying that you need 30 women to fill your closet? Sounds like a big closet.

#4. Guns function normally every day of the month. [Heh. As long as they've been lovingly cared for, properly lubed, and you feed them right, otherwise they can have... issues. Especially semi-autos.] Like WK said, I function normally every day of the month- I just have a little extra-special "lube" for about 5 of those days. Can you say "Red Wings"??

#3. A gun doesn't ask, "Do these new grips make me look fat?" [No, in fact many of us like fatter grips. Easier to control the motion of recoil.] *sigh* If only more men wanted fatter grips on their women- not for control, but rather to provide more motion in the ocean (or recoil, if you prefer).

#2. A gun doesn't mind if you go to sleep after you use it. [As long as you cleaned it, anyway.] Again, I have to refer to WK on this one. I prefer being cleaned after being used also. Just sayin...

#1. YOU CAN BUY A SILENCER FOR A GUN [Heh. Not in Kansas you can't. Legally, anyway. And no, I have no idea where to get one illegally. Nor do I intend to make one.] Huh. And here I thought that men came with their own natural silencer. I guess you just have to know where to put it.