Tribute to fallen soldiers.

[katiefishes]

What an honor to see that someone from the Armed Forces has seen this thread and the hard work of bunkerjoe and all the members, who want to pay tribute to those who gave their life for their country.

It is difficult to read but a wonderful tribute to our bravest men and women. I truly believe that they must never be forgotten.

Mike, there are not enough words to thank you and your comrades for the sacrifices that you make every day. I pray that God keeps all of you safe.

[Fisterfam]

Katiefishes - You don't have to "say" thanks...take them fishing... we know. Little things like these tributes all over the web make us proud to serve. Take a service out fishing and just BS for the day and maybe catch some fish and they will remember it for the rest of their lives. Thanks again. Mike

[strikezone31]

<H1>Crash of military helicopter in Mideast killed four Texas Army National Guard soldiers

Star-Telegram
By CHRIS VAUGHN

The deaths of four Texas Army National Guard soldiers in what appeared to be a helicopter accident last week marked the deadliest day in years for the state’s citizen-soldiers.
Among those killed was a sergeant from Springtown, a soldier from Kennedale and a first sergeant from San Antonio. Three National Guardsmen from Oklahoma also died in the accident, which occurred at midnight Thursday as their CH-47 Chinook flew from Kuwait into Iraq.
Military authorities said there was no indication of enemy fire.
The Defense Department had still not released the names of the seven men by Saturday evening, but word was leaking out into communities anyway.
The family of Sgt. Anthony Luke Mason, 37, of Springtown confirmed that he was a casualty. The Oklahoman newspaper and the Kennedale school district confirmed the death of Warrant Officer Corry Edwards, 38, of Kennedale. The San Antonio Express-News identified another casualty as 1st Sgt. Julio Ordonez, a 30-year veteran of the Guard from San Antonio.
The Oklahoman also identified as casualties Sgt. Dan Eshbaugh, 43, of Norman; Cpl. Michael Thompson, 23, of Kingston; and Warrant Officer Brady Rudolf, 37, of Moore.
All of the men were serving with the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, a 600-person unit based in Grand Prairie. That unit and its 32 helicopters deployed to Iraq in late August and operates out of the Balad area.
Mason worked full time for the National Guard unit. He joined the Guard about 12 years ago as a mechanic. He became part of the flight crew a few years ago as an additional challenge.
It was Mason’s second deployment to Iraq.
"He represented his country well," his mother-in-law, Shirley Stroud, said. "He believed in his country."
A native of Azle, Mason enjoyed fishing, bowling and hunting deer on a lease near Graham. But his family said he most loved spending time with his daughters — a 13-year-old, twin 8-year-olds and a 4-year-old — in their sports and cheerleading.
The coming months will be very hard on his family — their birthdays are in September, October and November.
"He was a very hands-on dad," Stroud said. "They’ll have a lot of great memories."
Edwards’ family declined to comment Saturday.


</H1>

[bababooey]

Just in time, or about time?


Sun Jul 27, 10:38 PM ET



SEATTLE - A day after the Army formally apologized for the wrongful conviction of 28 black soldiers in a riot and lynching in Seattle in 1944, one of the soldiers has died.

Rep. Jim McDermott says 83-year-old Samuel Snow died Sunday.
Snow came to Seattle to hear the formal apology delivered Saturday by Ronald James, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs.

But he missed the ceremony at Discovery Park because he was admitted to Virginia Mason Hospital with an irregular heartbeat.

Snow's son, Ray Snow, says receiving the long-delayed honorable discharge left his father at ease.

[dogfish]

Maybe a little bit of both.

[crosseyedbass]

Tuskegee airman paved way for others


BY GABRIEL H. GLUCK
Star-Ledger Staff

For Col. Reginald Stroud, there was no doubt in his mind why he was able to stand before the parishioners at the Second Baptist Church in Rahway yesterday in his United States Air Force uniform.
It was because of Odell McLeod and the other Tuskegee Airmen, whose sacrifices would ultimately make the segregation and discrimination, once the norm in the American military, no longer acceptable.

McLeod, 88, died Sunday. He was one of the original members of the 99th Fighter Squadron, an all-black unit, where he was part of the maintenance crew responsible for keeping the planes ready to fly.
Earlier this year, McLeod and several other Tuskegee Airmen, a unit that lost no men during combat, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.


Interviewed at the time, McLeod said when he was drafted in 1942, he had no idea the military was segregated. He arrived at Fort Dix shocked to find the line of draftees split in two: white men stood on a hill, black men stayed at the bottom. McLeod was buried yesterday afternoon at the N.J. Veterans Memorial Cemetery, not far from where he stood in that line 66 years ago.


Before the morning Homegoing Service at the Rahway church, McLeod's son Howard reminisced about his father, who for years said little about his experiences in the military.
"He didn't talk much about it. He talked more about bowling, which he loved," said his son, now 60.
But in the late'70s, when McLeod was diagnosed with cancer, he started to open up.
Within the last decade, he started attending reunions and going to local schools to talk to students about his experiences.
"Because of what he gave, America is a better place to live," said the Rev. James Ealey.



Few felt that more personally than Stroud, who is stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in Wrightstown and was part of the contingent from the base attending the funeral.
"I didn't know Mr. McLeod, but I'd like to thank him," said Stroud, an African-American. "We are the proud inheritors of his dedication and his commitment."



"It's because of his hard work and many like him that we are able to wear the uniform today," Stroud said.


Fellow Tuskegee Airman Malcolm E. Nettingham, who in recent years would visit schools together with McLeod, especially during Black History Month, said he would miss his brother in arms.
"I lost a friend and I feel sad for the family," said Nettingham, who was a radio operator and a gunner on a B-25 in the 477th Bomb Group.
But as age takes its toll on the remaining ranks of Tuskegee Airmen, Nettingham, 89, takes comfort that an organization has been established to carry on the story of the unit.


As for his own fate, Nettingham believes he is already blessed.
"I'm Christian," he said. "I praise God and I thank him that he's given me these years. I've already had my three-score and ten. I'm living on bonus time. You have to look at it, as the beginning of another life later on."


McLeod was predeceased by four brothers, William, Fred, Lacie Jr., and Edward McDaniels; and a sister, Anna Marie.
McLeod is also survived by his longtime companion, Marjorie Holmes of Linden; two brothers, Walter of Rahway and Robert of Maryland; and three sisters, Lacie Slater of Rochester, N.Y., Ruth Herriott of Maryland and Jessie Dixon of Plainfield.

[pinhead44]

Tuskegee airman paved way for others


Now there's a group that didn't get much acclaim until many years after their service. RIP Airman McCleod.

[voyager35]

RIP Michael Gonzalez, prayers and thoughts to the family.


U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 729-08
August 29, 2008

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Specialist Michael L. Gonzalez, 20, of Spotswood, New Jersey, died August 28, 2008, in Baghdad, of wounds suffered by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 340th Military Police Company, Fort Totten, New York.

For more information media may contact the Fort Monmouth public affairs office at (732) 532-1258; after hours (732) 371-2901.
Services this weekend for Spotswood soldier killed in Iraq
by Carly Rothman
Courtesy of the New Jersey The Star-Ledger
Wednesday September 03, 2008
Funeral services will be held Saturday morning for a 20-year-old Army reservist from Spotswood who was killed last month in Iraq.
U.S. Army Specialist Michael Gonzalez, a member of the military police, died August 28, 2008, in Baghdad from wounds caused by an improvised explosive device.

Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at The Brunswick Memorial Home, 454 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Spotswood Reformed Church, 429 Main Street, Spotswood. Gonzalez's cremated remains will be entombed at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, with full military honors on September 10, 2008.
Memorial contributions may be made to the US Adopt a Soldier program, 7440 South Blackhawk Street, Suite 15-106, Englewood, Colorado 80112, or online at adoptaussoldier.org, or to any local food bank or blood bank.
Gonzalez, a 2006 graduate of Spotswood High School, was assigned to the 18th Military Police Brigade, 95th Military Police Battalion, of the 340th Military Police Company. His home unit was the 430th Military Police Detachment in Red Bank.
Gonzalez is at least the 102nd member of the armed services with ties to New Jersey to die in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He is survived by his parents, Pedro and Ida Leiby Gonzalez; his brother, Troy; his paternal grandparents, Maria and Alberto Gonzalez; his cousin, Jonathan Nourse; and his girlfriend Tiffany Loving. He was predeceased by his maternal grandparents, John B. and Lillian Leiby.

[Fisterfam]

I am very proud of this forum for setting up a thread such as this one. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mike Nashif and I am a SSG in the US Army stationed at Ft. Hood in Texas. My wife and I are also founders of the website www.takeasoldierfishing.com and the Combat Warrior Crisis Network. Right now our main efforts are our website and getting service members out on the water but we hope to expand to marriage counseling and retreats for deployed service members and individual counseling for service members. We are a faith based organization but we are non denominational in nature.

Having lost 11 close friends of mine in 2 deployments I know that these families fall thru the cracks and eventually become forgotten. This is a great way to pay tribute to those that we have lost, new or past. Young or old. These great men and women are part of the 6% of the American population that have ever raised their right hand to defend this great nation. Remember, Freedom Isn't Free - takeasoldierfishing.com

[DarkSkies]

Are you proud to be an American? A friend sent this to me, thanks B!


YOU COULD HAVE HEARD A PIN DROP
>
>
>
>
> These thoughts tell us how the rest of the world thinks about us........
>
>
>
> 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.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> There was a 20 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 latestdumb stunt Bush
> has done?"
> "He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami
> victims."
> "What does he intend 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 shor e 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.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> 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
> t heir 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 Brits, Canadians, Aussies and
> Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'
>
> You could have heard a pin drop.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> 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.
>
> If you are proud to be an American, pass this on!
>
> I am ,and I did.
>

[Pebbles]

Beautiful "Taps"

[DarkSkies]

Beautiful "Taps"

That is moving, Pebbles, she sounds like the notes are coming from her soul.

[DarkSkies]

One of our good members sent this to me and asked me to post it. If you were touched reading it, please consider sending it on to a friend.

I remember posting something like this a while ago, but I personally have forgotten to do this. It's always nice to have a reminder. Thanks, B.



Red Shirt

If the red shirt thing is new to you, read below how it went for a man...

Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but didn’t put two and two together.

After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

No, he responded.
Heading out, I asked?

No. I'm escorting a soldier home.

Going to pick him up?

No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq , I'm taking him home to his family.

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days.

I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, “Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.”

Upon landing in Chicago , the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign."

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.

So here's a public Thank You to our military men and women for what they do so we can live the way we do.

Red Fridays.

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority." We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that ... every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever.

The first thing a soldier says when asked, "What can we do to make things better for you?" is: "We need your support and your prayers." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity by example and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON.

IF YOU DON’T -- THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON

[jigfreak]