New Blog Post on Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

I have a new post on Life is Like a Box Of Chocolates:



5 Ways to Support the Troops During the Holidays

Please visit and tell me how you support the troops during the holidays.

The Targets

As parents, we all worry about out children. Worry is something that starts long before our children are born. Then we realize the worry will never end. As parents of military members, we share another fear. Fear, we dread hearing the words, “Mom, Dad. I will be deploying on….” Those words pull on our heart even more because we know they will intentionally be in harm’s way.

What we try not to fear is when they are stateside on a base or post is their safety. The murder of 12 soldiers and 1 police officer on Fort Hood came as such a shock. Were they not supposed to be safe?

When my son deployed this fall on a naval ship I knew in my mind that all would probably be well. However, to be honest watching that ship sink smaller into the horizon left me with a pit in my stomach. I wanted to jump in the ocean and bring him back. I think about him every night before I go to sleep. I wonder where he is. I wonder if he will be safe while in port. No, I am sure I do not have the same fear as a mother of a service member in Afghanistan or Iraq, but fear is still fear.

When my son came home from boot camp, he told me that he is not allowed to travel in uniform. Why? Because he is a target. A target? My Son?

Last week we found out just how much of a target our children are. It is shameful, but real. It is why I lay awake at night.

Applebees Salute to our Military and Veterans

Veteran’s Day is November 11 and if you are active duty military or a Vet then you will get to eat free at Applebee's. I have to aplaud Applebee's for honor our service members in this way.

We can all spread the word to the service members we know. Just go the Applebee's send an invitation page and fill in the service member’s info and they will be sent an personalized invitation. If you have a facebook or twitter account you can spread the word to lots of people

It is that easy. You will be doing a great thing along with Applebee's and our heroes get a a big thank you in the way of a free meal.

 

Military Monday - Task Force Born 9/11 Still Guards NY

I came across this article today on Military.com. The New York National Guard has a task force that has guarded New York City since 9/11. It was actually formed on September 11th, 2001. Joint Task Force Empire Shield is an active-duty force of 280 and some of the people have been on the force since day one.

One of those soldiers is Staff Sgt. Michael Wilson, who joined the Army because of the tragic events on 9/11. He was 19 years old at the time. He has spent most of his career with Empire Shield which includes a deployment to Iraq. He is shown here outside of Penn Station.

Empire Shield's mission is to provide homeland security and to support civilian authorities, as needed. They patrol randomly to keep the enemy off guard. They perform missions, such as patrolling John F. Kennedy International Airport, La Guardia Airport, Penn Station and other mass transit hubs. They join New York State Naval Militia and Coast Guard reserve colleagues on boats bought with homeland security money released after 9/11. They also conduct foot patrols in and around airports and nuclear power facilities.

It is nice to know this special unit is watching out for us. Please read the full story of Empire Shield.

Military Monday - LCpl Honda at Sea.

Here is a pic of LCpl Honda working on the flight deck in Combat Cargo. He is the one one the right. The Marines are moving a net that is used to transport cargo, food and other supplies from the the cargo ships and between the Navy ships. Combat Cargo also aids in assisting visitors or military personnel arriving and departing from the ship. It does not matter how high up in rank the visitor may be. Combat Cargo personnel is in charge on the flight deck.

LCpl Honda will be home on leave this weekend and then will deploy in Sept. It is going to be a long 7 months. He will however get to visit quite a few ports in many countries. Anyway, here he is:

 

God Bless our Troops. Happy Military Monday!

Military Monday - At Sea

I am a little late with this. There is a new series, "At Sea" on the Military Channel featuring the US Navy and the US Marines. It actually started last night, Aug. 9th. It is a three episode special focusing on Naval ships.  The second episode airs tonight Aug. 10th at 10pm eastern time and concluding with the third episode on Tues. Aug. 11th. Hopefully it will repeat at another time. There is an excellent article about the series here.

The series focus is to let the American people know how the Navy and Marines work together and what these joined forces do when they are at sea. Our armed forces are made up of real people who have chosen to serve the American people and the series conveys this message to the viewer.

LCpl Honda is currently on the USS Bonhomme Richard preparing for an upcoming  MEU. This is why I am especially interested in this program. He currently works on the fight deck in Combat Cargo. He and other Marines and Sailors are responsible for loading and unloading cargo and making sure that people get on and off the Helicopters safely.

Go to the Military Channel website and you can explore an aircraft carrier interactively, find out more about the program, "At Sea" and learn about ships of the future.

Surprise, Surpise

So last night my phone rings and it is LCpl Honda. He tells me,  "Make a wish and then tell me when you are done." So I did. Then he tells me, "Guess what? Your dream just came true!"

Huh? Right about that time the phone disconnects and the doorbell rings. I was thinking, "Who the heck is ringing my doorbell at 7:30 in the evening?" As Corvette went to answer the door, I put the phone down and went out in the garage to open the door to let some of the heat out. Since we live in the Desert Southwest it gets incredibly hot out there and I like to let it air out a little at night.  I stayed in the garage for a few minutes and then went back in the house.

Surprise!, Surprise! LCpl Honda was standing in my living room!

He was supposed to be here on Saturday to bring home some of his things before deployment. He was also only supposed to be here overnight. So lucky us!

My nephew Sgt. Red once surprised my sister Crafty in the middle of the night by climbing through the dog door. Thank goodness his dogs knew it was him. I told LCpl Honda not try any middle of the night entries or come in when we are not home (he has a key) because he will set off the alarm and then he will have some explaining to do. To the cops. Marine or no.

Oh, that wasn't exactly my wish, but I will take it.

Military Monday - Pride in Our Country

I did not write these, I actually received these in an email from Grandma M. These are some good examples of having pride in our country.

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible. Rusk responded "does that include those who are buried here?

DeGaule did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop

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When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.

You could have heard a pin drop.

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There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'

You could have heard a pin drop.

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A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

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AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically.Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !"

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."

You could have heard a pin drop.

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If you are proud to be an American, pass this on!

I am proud to be of this land, AMERICA

Many Veterans Exposed to Asbestos and living with possible Ailments

The twentieth century brought us the start and end to many wars for Americans, all of which were fought mainly overseas. In that time many soldiers were killed or brought back injuries through their sacrifice. Much of the military returned healthy. But this does not mean there are not a variety of issues if you dig a little deeper. One often overlooked issue is mesothelioma cancer, which results from asbestos exposure.

Roughly 30-40 percent of all reported mesothelioma patients in the United States are former members of the military.  Asbestos is an excellent fire retardant that in many ways protected veterans throughout the years. In addition to being dangerous if the fibers are ‘lose’ and breathed in, it is fairly cheap and effective. This fiber was used in every branch of the military up until the late 1970’s and was specifically valuable to the Navy, which used it in engine and boiler rooms and other areas below the deck for safety reasons.  It was used in the tools they used and the rooms where they slept.

In particular, veterans who served from the 1930s and 1970s have the greatest risk of getting mesothelioma, with the disease not settling in sometimes up to 50 years after asbestos exposure.

Pursuing compensation for mesothelioma and other breathing ailments that can result is not easy. VA Claims sometimes can help but you must prove that you were only exposed while in the military. The military does not list mesothelioma as a service-related disease. Some think that the Obama Administration will push through policies to make the VA Claim process easier. Another avenue to take is to sue the manufacturer of the product (not Uncle Sam) but litigation is typically tough because diagnosis often occurs many years after exposure.

It is safe to say that asbestos is one of the worst corporate catastrophe’s of the 20^th century because manufacturers knew about the dangers since the 1920s and the mesothelioma survival rate equating to almost certain death within a short time (varies but typically within a couple years). The full breakdown of mesothelioma facts is interesting, to say the least. Most Americans think that asbestos is an old issue but veterans are still reporting cases at a frequent pace, reminding us of era that brought many wars and poor industrial standards.

Military Monday - Signs of Respect

In Sullivan Illinois, the residents have found a great way to honor their military residents serving in the US Armed Forces. When many were deployed to Afghanistan in 2004, the soldier's names were nailed to lampposts. As more and more young people volunteered in Sullivan, population 4,400, the parents decided to keep up the tradition.

More than a hundred town residents have served abroad and dozens more will still deploy to either Iraq or Afghanistan.  Some names have hung more than once while spouses and siblings are displayed two to a post.

This is the town's small, informal way of showing its respect to those members of the community who for the most part joined the military out of patriotism.

In Sullivan, the effort to support military personnel and their families includes churches, care package packing parties and coffee klatches. The wonderful thing here is the residents have taken their support an additional step by putting up the signs and honoring their military even further.

As we military family members know, support is imperative during deployment. It is hard for non-military people to understand the fear and helplessness when a loved one deploys for a war zone. The signs are a great way of reminding people on a daily basis that someone's family member is in harm's way and protecting each and every one of us.

Since my son will soon be deployed my need for support and understanding grows with each passing day. I think doing something like this in my hometown would be a great comfort to me. Maybe since this story is out other towns might want to do something like this too.

So I say spread the word and maybe this could grab some momentum and before we know it many towns and cities could be demonstrating yet one more way to say thank you to our brave military.

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Quote of the Week - D-Day

"There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON'T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana. No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!" ~

- General George S. Patton, Jr  -

(This speech was delivered to Patton's troops on June 5, 1944)

I do believe the Grandsons will be able to say something similar.

God Bless our troops - then and now.

Wordless Wednesday - Battle of Midway 1942 June 4-7

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Military Monday (a day late) Honor Flights

Yes I know it is not Monday but I have a good excuse. Since adopting Lucie (see the post below) on Saturday I have taken her on a few walks. Now let's just say that she is a little leash ignorant and tends to almost take me for a walk. So when I got up Monday morning I could hardly move because I was so sore. So needless to say I spent the day laying on the couch and taking hot showers to relieve the soreness. After a day of Iburprofren and rest I feel a little better. No major muscles are pulled. This is either going to be really good for me or kill me.

So anyway here is the post that I planned to put up on Monday.

Honor Flights is a charity that provides free transportation to World War II veterans that have never been to Washington DC to see the WWII Memorial.  There are flights out of most US major cities several times a month.

The reasoning behind this charity is that based on recent 2008 statistics, we are losing World War II veterans at the rate of approximately 1,000 per day. There are plans in place to eventually be able to provide this service to Korean and Vietman war vets.

The first Honor Flight took place in May of 2005. Six planes flew out of Springfield, Ohio taking twelve World War II veterans on a visit to the memorial in Washington, DC.

Honor Flight's website can be found here. I found out about Honor Flights through the Chicago Tribune. See a video about a recent group of vets from the Chicago are that were able to travel to the nation's capital and see thier memorial.  There a more pictures here.

If you are a vet, give this trip some thought. Afterall it is your memorial and you deserve to see. I did and I was humbled and I am not even a vet. Just a daughter on one and mother of two.

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Military Monday

I am sure that everyone knows how much seeing eye dogs help blind people. Well Southeastern Guide Dogs decided to take it a step further. In 2003 they heard about a young Marine who had been blinded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Southeastern learned that the military does not provide guide dogs to wounded military.

So they decided to contact some military officials and see what could be done to help the wounded military out. General Tommy Franks was very impressed and argreed to become a spokesperson at no charge.

Paws for Patriots now provides guide dogs at no charge to blinded soldiers and Marines. Southeastern did not stop there. They also placed therapy dogs at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

Paws for Patriots receives receives no governmental funding and relies completely on donations. If you wish to donate you can go here.

Military Monday

The GI FilmFestival was established to exclusively celebrate and honor the men and women of the US Military.  It will be held May 13-17 2009 in Washington D.C. So if you are near here you can go and check out some of these movies.

Some of the fimmakers are active duty and retired military so they have first hand experience.

If you visit the site you can watch the trailers and decide which films you would like to see. Many celebrities will be appearing such as Gary Sinise, Robert Duvall and Fred Thompson.

Sounds like a fun thing to do this weekend!

Quote of the Week

Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don't have that problem.
--Ronald Reagan--

Military Monday

Yes, I know it is Tuesday. As I said before just a little writer's block. But I am glad to announce that when I checked my email today I had a nice little post just waiting for me.

My nephew Cpl Red is still on his year-long delployment to the Sandbox. The group he is with sends a newsletter every month. Whoever writes the newsletter decided to include quotes from the guys to their family and friends.

Here are a few:

"Happy mother’s day Nancy and to all the wonderful mothers who supported us during this deployment. Your job is the hardest. Ours pales in comparison to what you do everyday. To Kerry, Isabella, Sean, and Ryangela – I miss you tons and can’t wait to see you again. I can’t wait to build your animal cage, play Barbies, shoot your BB pistol, and dress up your babies. I love you all. Love Hubby/Daddy"

"To Family, Thank you so much for all the birthday gifts, love you all so much & miss you. Daddy will be home soon. Can't wait to see how big my two little angels have grown. LaShed continue being a good brother to your sister Tatyanna, and a good boy for your mother. Baby I love you so much and miss you. I know this is hard for you but you’re doing a great job all around. You’re an amazing wife & an outstanding wife. So happy to have found you, you’re my wife, best friend, soul mate, partner, better half and my heart. Love you all Love Daddy/your Husband"

 "To friends and family: Thank you for all your support during our time in country thus far. It’s been one heck of a year so far, but we’ve had a lot of good memories. However, we all look forward to returning back home, and seeing everyone again."

This must be the poet in the bunch.

 Sandstorms – A haiku 

Sandstorms come and go

Blowing dust and blindness around

Misery on post

I was reading all these really heartfelt messages and then I come to Cpl Red's message:

"This has been a very long deployment, can’t wait to get home."

That's it. No love you, miss you, Happy Mother's day Mom. Oh well, he never was long on words.

Here is a picture of his group. I can't find him in here so maybe Crafty will chime in a let me know.

 

Military Monday

Well, I guess the story of the US Navy Seals rescuing Capt. Richard Phillips from the Somalian pirates is the story of the day. I had no doubt that our military would be involved in this incident eventually. I am very happy for Capt Phillips, his family and fellow crew members. Read the full story here.

I have to wonder what will happen from here on in. These pirates can not be allowed to keep terrorizing the waters. I would hope that we can work with other counties to squash this problem before it gets worse. Now I realize that the Navy alone can not possibly police the whole area and it is not really it's job but something needs to be done.

I also heard an audio of one of the crew members this morning. He was very angry and loudly wondering why something was not done earlier on. Again I do not know the details about how these matters are handled but it would seem that since we are one of the most powerful countries in the world it should not take a whole lot to rescue someone from a bunch of thugs one of which is only 16 years old. Just my opinion.

I also want to give kudos to President Obama for giving the green light on this mission and letting the Navy handle it. Lastly, Congratulations to the Navy and the Seals on a mission well done.

On another note. This has nothing to do with military but I was listening to the radio on the way to work and Andy Rooney was on a morning talk show. I don't really care much for him. I see him on the Sunday Morning Show only because I like the show as a whole. They usually have interesting stories and Mr. Rooney just happens to be on at the end. Anyway he was talking about people getting laid off and he said, "I am working. All my friends are working. Just who are these 5 million people that are unemployed?" He followed that by laughing.

Uhh! I almost had to pull over. Now I realize that Mr. Rooney is probably pretty out of touch with everyday working-class people but give me a break! I feel lucky to still be employed at this time but I find this very offensive because I have family members that have been laid off as well as friends. This is not a laughing matter or something to joke about.

Next Sunday do believe I will be changing the channel before Mr. Rooney appears. If not that, the mute button will be used.

til the last shot's fired

Last Sunday on the Country Music Awards, this video was played. It is performed by Trace Adkins. It features the Patriot Guard Riders on missions to honor fallen military members. Since I am a member I can really appreciate it's significance. These people are true patriots and many are vets themselves. Following the video are a few pictures of some of the missions I have been on to honor fallen military.

I am in some of the pictures. Just look for the non-biker looking girl.

The first picture is of us staging before we begin the mission.
We hold hands and sing I'm Proud to be an American by Lee Greenwood

I am not much of a singer, but I sing loud and proud.

The rest speak for themselves...

Marines in Training

LCpl Honda is doing some serious month-long training. His unit recently went to 29 Palms to train for their upcoming deployment. He said it is very intense but he is having fun doing it.

He called last weekend to say they were on their way to a base near Oakland to jump out of helicopters. HE was overjoyed! Makes me a little bit queasy. I am just glad he is happy and enjoying his training.

So I was browsing around Marines.mil and I came across this article about his unit and their training. I thought it was interesting. There are a few pictures too and I wondered if LCpl was in any of them. Hard to tell because they all look alike in their camo and gear.

Apparently the training is pretty grueling and challenges both the Marines’ abilities to work in unison as squads and their individual physical endurance. Also,the scenario mirrors combat situations in Afghanistan, where they may be deploying.

“The course is physically exhausting,” said Staff Sgt. Shawn M. Skaggs, 26, from Pilot Grove, Mo. “In combat, you have adrenaline and the will to survive to keep you going. In training, you don’t have that; you have to have that physical will to drive yourself.”

You can read the full article here.

Please say a prayer for my son and his unit. I know they get the best training possible but a little divine intervention can not hurt.