Click here: A Tribute to our Flag
Happy Veteran's Day, America...

This is a great photo of an Air Force training squadron flying in a never-done-before "USA" formation over the control tower "Taj Mahal" (HQ building) of Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Anyone that loves photography will appreciate the precision of this photo. The jets are probably moving at around 400 mph and the photographer must be just right to get the shot at just the right instant. This is a hard formation to stay in. The ones in the "S" are just a little graduated degree behind the next one and staying that way to maintain the formation.

Awesome!

God Bless our Troops and hear their prayers, I pray.....

Holy Ground

Home Sweet Home Welcome....We appreciate YOU!

A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE

Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.
He stays up for days on end.

You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.

You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
He gets shot at, as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.

You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You talk trash on your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He does not get to eat today.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for months, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.

You are angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He is told he will be held an extra 2 months.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for that night.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own government
and remembers why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of the men like him.
He hears the gun fire and bombs.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the bodies lying around him.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does what he is told.

You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call and write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your bed, with down pillows, and try to get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by gun fire.

You sit there and judge him, saying the world is a worse place because of men like him.
If only there were more men like him.

IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE,
FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !!!

"At last we were home. No words can describe Back together again... "
http://www.uppermansblog.blogspot.com/
From: the blog....Who's your Baghdaddy?...
by John Upperman, Round Rock, Texas...
Check it out!

Peace and safety in the midst of a war....

God Bless America and our Troops...

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.

This statue currently stands outside the Iraqi palace, now home to the 4th Infantry division.
It will eventually be shipped home and put in the memorial museum in Fort Hood, TX
The statue was created by an Iraqi artist named Kalat, who for years was forced by Saddam Hussein to make the many hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam that dotted Baghdad.
Kalat was so grateful for the Americans liberation of his country; he melted 3 of the heads of the fallen Saddam and made the statue as a memorial to the American soldiers and their fallen warriors. Kalat worked on this memorial night and day for several months.
To the left of the kneeling soldier is a small Iraqi girl giving the soldier comfort as he mourns the loss of his comrade in arms.

God Bless Our Troops!

Here are two very very touching photos honored at this years
International Picture of the Year...
First Place ......
Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News
When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines
climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his
casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.

During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver
International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as so
powerful: "See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the
plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through
their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home,"
he said. "They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their
lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they
should."

Second Place....
From :Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News
The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey
refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the
last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below
the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and
played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if
she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it
would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's
what he would have wanted."

LCPL Chad Codwell, from Baltimore, Maryland, with Charlie Company 1st Battalion 5th Marines, carries an experimental urban combat skateboard which is being used for maneuvering inside buildings in order to detect tripwires and sniper fire.

God Bless Our Troops!

Certificate of Appreciation presented by the Pinellas County Chapter 522 of Vietnam Veterans of America to our Marine, Chuckie, and all the other Marines from Tampa who were involved with Iraqi Freedom ....
It reads...."In Grateful Appreciation For Your Service And Outstanding Performance During Operation Iraqi Freedom".....
"Never Again Shall One Generation of Veterans Abandon Another"

Tribute should be paid for those people who willingly and knowingly use their life in order to secure peace, freedom and protection for their fellow man.

Such a life should not be taken for granted for we owe them gratitude of the highest degree. Theirs is a life dedicated to honor, integrity and the preservation of that which is sacred and precious.....freedom.
Any person who has carried this responsibility in such a noble way - should be awarded the highest honor of our land....a grateful and appreciative heart from the people who has thus been served...

It is with great thankfulness that I salute ALL who have procured my country's freedom with your commitment to such a noble endeavor....

May God Hold YOU in the Palm of His Hand and Bless you Abundantly....

We appreciate YOU!