AMERICA, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave...: August 2007

Bill Cosby for President

Bill Cosby for Prez 2012 Bill Cosby has a great way of distilling things. Looks like he's done it again! I HAVE DECIDED TO BECOME A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE. HERE IS MY PLATFORM: (1) 'Press 1 for English' is immediately banned. English is the official language; speak it or wait at the border until you can. (2) We will immediately go into a two year isolationist posture to straighten out the country's attitude. NO imports, no exports. We will use the 'Wal-Mart 'S policy, 'If we ain't got it, you don't need it.' (3) When imports are allowed, there will be a 100% import tax on it. (4) All retired military personnel will be required to man one of our many observation towers on the southern border (six month tour). They will be under strict orders not to fire on SOUTHBOUNDaliens. (5) Social security will immediately return to its original state. If you didn't put nuttin in, you ain't getting nuttin out. The president nor any other politician will be able to touch it. (6) Welfare - Checks will be handed out on Fridays at the end of the 40 hour school week and the successful completion of urinalysis and a passing grade. (7) Professional Athletes--Steroids. The FIRST time you check positive you're banned for life. (8) Crime - We will adopt the Turkish method, the first time you steal, you lose your right hand. There is no more life sentences. If convicted of murder, you will be put to death by the same method you chose for your victim; gun, knife, strangulation, etc. (9) One export will be allowed, Wheat. The world needs to eat. A bushel of wheat will be the exact price of a barrel of oil. (10) All foreign aid using American taxpayer money will immediately cease, and the saved money will pay off the national debt and ultimately lower taxes.. When disasters occur around the world, we'll ask the American people if they want to donate to a disaster fund, and each citizen can make the decision whether it's a worthy cause. (11) The Pledge of Allegiance will be said every day at school and every day in Congress. (12) The National Anthem will be played at all appropriate ceremonies, sporting events, outings, etc. If I stepped on anyone's toes, tough.... GOD BLESS AMERICA . Bill Cosby

Death of a Hero

NORTH BALTIMORE, Ohio - The last World War I veteran in Ohio, and one of only three known remaining U.S. veterans of the conflict, has died.

J. Russell Coffey was the last WWI vet in the state, according to the Veterans Affairs Department. He died Thursday at the age of 109, said the Smith-Crates Funeral Home in North Baltimore, about 35 miles south of Toledo.

The funeral home did not say where Coffey died or the cause of death. He had been living in the Blakely Care Center, a nursing home.

Coffey, born Sept. 1, 1898, did not see action overseas. He enlisted in the Army while he was a student at Ohio State University in October 1918, a month before the Allied powers and Germany signed a cease-fire agreement.

Coffey played semipro baseball, earned a doctorate in education from New York University, taught high school and college and raised a family.

He drove his car until he was 104 and lived on his own until three years ago, according to the funeral home.

The other known surviving American soldiers are Frank Buckles, 106, of Charles Town, W.Va., and Harry Landis, of Sun City Center, Fla., according to the Veterans Affairs Department.

A Different Christmas Poem

Semper Fi

Billy Ray Kidd

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

PLEASE, Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people
as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S.service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we
owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who
sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30t h Naval Con struc tion Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum , Iraq.

In Memory of SGT Jeffers by Q

In Memory of SGT Jeffers

Have you ever read anything that had made you feel a range of emotions from sadness, anger, pride, to renewed strength and patriotism? Something that reached you so deep inside that you wanted everyone to read it? That is what happened to me when I read a bulletin a friend posted. It was an article written by a Soldier serving in Iraq and his message is one I wanted everyone to hear. The Soldier’s father had passed the article on and was hoping to have it published. I was so moved by its contents I saved it and on September 12th I posted it in our blog.

A few weeks later I was contacted by someone who wanted to publish the Soldier’s article. I cannot tell you all how excited I was for this Soldier. I knew his father was looking for a way to get it published and my posting had opened a door for him. I was so excited I was literally jumping out of my seat. I had a smile plastered across my face. I could not wait to locate the family and tell them the good news, the search was on. I found the Soldier and then his family but my excitement quickly turned to grief… the reason for this bulletin today.

On September 19, 2007, SGT Edmund John Jeffers, the writer of the article and protector of our country, died in Iraq. He was a Loving husband, brother, and son. I will never know the man but I will never forget him or his family and I would hope that none of you will forget this Man, these Soldiers. I take his sacrifice, their sacrifice, very personal… as it should be. This is perhaps the reason for my delay in posting this bulletin. You see, I have struggled with this for a couple of weeks now. I have read his father’s pride for his boy who turned into such a strong man. I have seen the great love of a sister for her brother now lost. His wife, Beautiful, Gracious Spirit that she is, has been so kind, and continues to be so giving despite her tremendous loss. I want them to know he did not die in vain.

Will you join me in Honoring Eddie and in doing so honor his family? I am asking all of you to make his picture your default picture for the next week. All of you please read his article in our blog “Letter from a Son” and leave a comment his family can read. Repost this bulletin and post Eddie’s letter in your own blog or bulletin. If any of you would like to write the family you can send me the message and I will forward it.

Eddie died doing what he believed in, he loved this country. Now wrap yourself around this…he loved us… I think it’s time we start giving some of that love back America!

Thank You Everyone!

Always Faithful

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Monday, August 06, 2007

I'm Tired

"I'm Tired" Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army
"I'm Tired"
Two weeks ago, as I was starting my sixth month of duty in Iraq, I was forced to return to the USA for surgery for an injury I sustained prior to my deployment. With luck, I'll return to Iraq to finish my tour.
I left Baghdad, and a war that has every indication that we are winning, to return to a demoralized country much like the one I returned to in 1971 after my tour in Vietnam. Maybe it's because I'll turn 60 years old in just four months, but I'm tired:
I'm tired of spineless politicians, both Democrat and Republican, who lack the courage, fortitude and character to see these difficult tasks through.
I'm tired of the hypocrisy of politicians who want to rewrite history when the going gets tough.
I'm tired of the disingenuous clamor from those that claim they 'Support the Troops' by wanting them to 'Cut and Run' before victory is achieved.
I'm tired of a mainstream media that can only focus on car bombs and casualty
reports because they are too afraid to leave the safety of their hotels to report on the courage and success our brave men and women are having on the
battlefield.
I'm tired that so many Americans think you can rebuild a dictatorship into a
democracy overnight.
I'm tired that so many ignore the bravery of the Iraqi people to go to the voting booth and freely elect a Constitution and soon a permanent Parliament.
I'm tired of the so called 'Elite Left' that prolongs this war by giving aid and comfort to our enemy, just as they did during the Vietnam War.
I'm tired of antiwar protesters showing up at the funerals of our fallen soldiers, a family whose loved ones gave their life in a just and noble cause, only to be cruelly tormented on the funeral day by cowardly protesters is beyond shameful.
I'm tired that my generation, the Baby Boom -- Vietnam generation, who
have such a weak backbone that they can't stomach seeing the difficult tasks
through to victory.
I'm tired that some are more concerned about the treatment of captives than they are the slaughter and beheading of our citizens and allies.
I'm tired that when we find mass graves it is seldom reported by the press, but mistreat a prisoner and it is front-page news.
Mostly, I'm tired that the people of this great nation didn't learn from history that there is no substitute for victory.
Sincerely,

Joe Repya, Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army
101st Airborne Division

Friday, August 03, 2007

Military Resources & Fund Raiser's

New On line Resources for Reserve Component Families

The website of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs has some new resources to offer Reserve Component Families. Visitors to the site (http://www.defenselink.mil/ra/) can download a Commander’s Toolkit, a guide to Family Readiness matters for commanders, as well as a Family Toolkit, which provides Reserve Families with information on how to plan for deployment, financial management, legal affairs, and reintegration. Additionally, the website has new and updated versions of Guard and Reserve Benefits Guide and the Education and Retirement Guide.

“Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents’ Guide” Now Available...

“Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents’ Guide” Now Available in Spanish

“Su Soldado, Su Ejército Estadounidense: Guía Para Los Padres” is now available from AUSA Family Programs. The guide is designed to help parents of Soldiers understand how the Army works and provides information about deployment, Family Readiness programs and advice on how to cope with having a child deployed. In writing the book, Mrs. Cody drew on her own experience as an Army wife of thirty years and the mother of two sons, both of whom joined the Army and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Since it was first published in 2005, the book has proven to be a tremendous success and many thousands of copies have now made their way to the parents and grandparents of Soldiers. Both the English and Spanish language versions of “Your Soldier, Your Army” are available free of charge, although quantities may be limited. To obtain a copy, please contact AUSA Family Programs at 1-800-336-4570, ext. 151 or familyprograms@ausa.org.

Recycle Old Cell Phones and Help Connect a Military Family

Recently, AT&T announced that all AT&T owned wireless stores would accept cell phones for donation to “Cell Phones for Soldiers.” The non-profit organization was founded by two Massachusetts teenagers Brittany and Robbie Bergquist to help buy pre-paid phone cards to send to military members who are serving overseas. The organization collects old phones, recycles them, and uses the proceeds to purchase calling cards. In addition to collecting phones, AT&T has donated more than 30,000 pre-paid cards to “Cell Phones for Soldiers” and plans to donate 10,000 more in the coming weeks. AT&T is also providing “Cell Phones for Soldiers” with a volume discount on phone card purchases. For more information, see: http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=24052.

Battlemind Training

Soldiers are trained to develop a “Battlemind” to prepare them for the challenges of a deployment to a combat zone. The mind-set and thinking that they adopt to be vigilant and safe during an extended deployment sometimes causes difficulty when they transition back to civilian life. If you/ your Soldier demonstrate the following behaviors, it is a sign that the transition is not complete: Withdrawal; Inappropriate Aggression; Hyper Vigilance; Anger/Detachment; Aggressive Driving; Guilt; Conflict; or Carrying Weapons. These are all signs that the Soldier is mentally still in a war zone part of the time. Many of these behaviors will affect the Soldier’s relationships with his/her Family, as well as job performance. The Walter Reed Army Institute has developed training to assist Soldiers transitioning from the Combat Zone to the Home Zone. Visit the www.battlemind.org to download the materials or watch a 35-minute video developed for Soldiers and Family Members. If you know a Soldier that is having difficulty with the transition from the Combat Zone to civilian life, you will be doing them a service if you refer them to this video and the support services they need to complete their transition.

Indiana Military Family Leave Act Becomes Law..

Indiana Military Family Leave Act Becomes Law
Effective 1 July 2007, relatives of military members called to active duty for a period of more than 89 days may now take a leave of absence of up to ten days per year. The leave may be taken within 30 days prior to deployment, during R&R, or up to 30 days after the service member returns. To qualify for the benefit, employees must have been employed by their current employer for a minimum of 12 months and have worked at least 1,500 hours during the last year. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from the law. Employees requesting leave must be a spouse, parent, grandparent, or sibling of a military service member and give employers 30 days notice of their intent to take leave under this program. Other changes effective on July 1st include: Timeframe extension to use scholarship benefits for National Guard members called to active duty; In state tuition rates for all active duty service members stationed in Indiana and their Families; and honorary diplomas for veterans of the Korean and Vietnam conflicts who were unable to complete high school due to their service. For more information, visit: http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=24169.