Alpha Co. 1-293rd Infantry

Some of the images here were from the 02JAN08 send off I attended in the RCA Dome.

God bless them and keep them safe.
God bless and be with the wives and children.

PS: you may need a tissue.




ht to Russ for the video link.

Anti-Bucket List

”Yeah, if ya get that far, then suddenly decide that you need to make a list of shit to do just before you eat your final shitburger; your life wasn't much worth living in the first place.” - dick (snagged from hoosierboy’s “FAT IN INDIANA” comments)

dick is right on. If you wait till then... it IS too too late. hb has the right idea, an “Anti-Bucket List”. Although not as extensive as his and some nearly the same as his, here is mine.

I’ve...
1. been to Scotland and seen the home of Robert Burns (great, great uncle) and seen the festivities in Edinburgh.
2. raised (assisted my wife) two wonderful young men
3. ridden to Washington DC with Rolling Thunder and 400,000 other bikers Patriots
4. attended the internment of a Vietnam Veteran at Arlington National Cemetery
5. held and said good bye to a beloved pet family member as he went to sleep for the last time
6. mentored several in my profession and am proudly watching them succeed
7. been to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Badlands
8. ridden to Lake Superior
9. attended my sons graduation from Marine Boot Camp
10. loved and been loved by a strong woman
11. built and lived in my dream house
12. looked in the eye of the mother and father of a fallen soldier, thanked them, hugged them and cried with them

The Time To Choose Approaches

I received this e-mail (below the *********) from CJ over at A Soldier’s Perspective.

I can’t help but wonder what the mom in the Move On video will do with her son, if, after another 9-11 event, where his countrymen are killed, he volunteers. Does a parent stop loving their child for their choices, or threaten to with hold love...?

I could have more respect for the lady if she phrased it ‘he chooses not to volunteer’.

I am VERY proud of my two sons. One would just as soon bloody your nose, break your arm and throw you in a trash can as let you disrespect God and country. The other would rather you bloody his nose and break his arm as let you harm any living creature.

That doesn’t mean they both have respect for the rights this country gives them and you. Ultimately, I believe both of them would stand up against injustice and fight, be it physically or verbally, for your right to choose.

They are our children. We raise them, they choose. We are proud.

That’s is what it all really seems to be about, choice, the freedom to choose. Is Move On a choice? Does their candidate offer a choice?

Let the DNR bashing begin...
*********************
You may have seen the latest ad from the far-left group MoveOn.org, which they spent over $500k broadcasting on television.

The ad uses a young mother, holding her infant son, to launch a baseless and, frankly, creepy political attack on Senator McCain.

You can watch the :30 second tv ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq30lapbC9c

Here is what she says: "Hi, John McCain; this is Alex. He's my first. So far, his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog — that, and making my heart pound every time I look at him. So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because, if you were, you can't have him.">

Former Air Force Major Eric Egland is running for Congress in the 4th Congressional District in California. He is married to Ania Egland. Here is Ania's :30 second video response: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mtAs2zpC2s

"Hello Senator McCain, these are my precious boys Noah and Daniel. Their daddy served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I grew up under communism. So, when you say we have to protect freedom in Iraq, I understand. And, someday, I would be proud if they volunteered to serve this great country. Senator, thank you for your leadership."

Enjoy and please pass it on.


--
CJ
A Soldier's Perspective
http://www.soldiersperspective.us/

www.theyhavenames.com

I never apologize.
I'm sorry, but that's just the way I am.

"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Philippians 4:8

******************

The Wongs

Su Wong marries Lee Wong.

The next year, the Wongs have a new baby. The nurse brings over a lovely, healthy, bouncy, but definitely a Caucasian, WHITE baby boy. 'Congratulations,' says the nurse to the new parents. 'Well Mr. Wong, what will you and Mrs. Wong name the baby?'

The puzzled father looks at his new baby boy and says, 'Well, two Wong's don't make a white, so I think we will name him..."



Wait for it....



Ready,



Ready,






Sum Ting Wong

******************

BAWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I swear to gawd I 'bout fell out of my chair!!

Killer Red Bird

Oooo!! No wait, I do have something.

Another fucked up dream. Ok, ready... (this is so weird)

I’m looking out an open window, it is very high. There is one of those fake balcony things, you know the railing and what not but you can’t get out on it.

Any way, the balcony thing is large, like 12 feet long and 3 feet from the outside wall. Hovering there at the fake balcony edge, like ridding an updraft, is a red bird. A Cardinal. Just filtering back and fourth about 3 feet in front of me.

About this time I notice he is holding another bird in his claws/feet. It is not dead, he is holding it by the head. It’s not fighting but I can see it blinking. The red bird lands on the railing and kills it and eats it.

All the while I’m screaming for him to stop, leave, don’t kill the little bird but I am completely ignored. As if I’m not there, invisible or he knows I’m not a threat.

I woke myself up yelling.

Interesting STUFF

And since I got nothing... I got this in an e-mail today.



In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'
-------------------------------------------
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
-------------------------------------------
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
-------------------------------------------
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
-------------------------------------------
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
-------------------------------------------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
-------------------------------------------
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
-------------------------------------------
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
-------------------------------------------
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
-------------------------------------------
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:
$ 16,400
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:61,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first novel ever written on a typewriter:
Tom Sawyer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
------------------------------------------------------------------------
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
------------------------------------------------------------
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts.. So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Go on, tell your friends to come over here and read this. You know you want to!

PSA - Watch For Me And Other Riders

Motorcycles are everywhere. How observant are you. Can you pass this test?

Click here for the test.

How did you do?

ht to B for the link. Thanks B!!!

Weekend Catch Up

Damn Flooding

And rain... enough is enough, this is just ridiculous.

Saturday we were to ride for a local police department to raise money for their auxiliary. Left the house in the rain. Rode for about 2 hours in the rain.

They canceled the ride while we were on our way... too much rain.

Sunday we were going to escort a bus or two of special needs kids (burn victims) to a special needs camp in south central Indiana, Brown County... too much rain. They didn’t want he kids to be in the damp and muddy environment so it has been postponed.

SO, we rode, around. Saturday we ended up at Russ’. The infamous Barn I’ve blogged about here a couple times.

Had a shot... well maybe two... and a beer.
DC got some ink work (see below)



Sunday we ended up riding around. (Is it just me or is there a pattern here...?) Ended up in some ‘300 population’ small town in west Indiana. Had a real neat covered bridge and some home make ice cream.

Rode just over 400 miles. Trying to get my ass in shape for the long haul and 1,000 mile day coming up in July. We may have modified our goal to be 1,500 miles in 36 hours instead of the 1,000 in 24 hours.

Who Needs Loud Pipes

Sooooo Coooolll!!!

Bill For President

OK. This is just funny.

YaHell

Hello, my name is DNR and I’m a spammer.

Or so the Yahoo idiots seem to think.

Since late Friday or early Saturday, Yahoo in their infinite wisdom has suspended my yahoo e-mail because 'I' am spamming the whole of the internet with 'thousands of e-mails per hour'. Phffft, whatever!

Because some genius out there wants you all to have bigger dicks, an erection that lasts for ever or to come watch free porn (do women get spam, or do they expect you to forward that crap to your BF/husband?) and he has my address, I don't get to send or receive e-mails until they figure out it really isn't me... No comments from the peanut gallery.


Anyway, I'm here. May move here permanently.
_____________ at gmail dot com - same address as before, just a new host.

Thaisall.

Just Your Typical American Bad Ass

Borrowed this form LL's.

What Kind of a Western Bad-Ass are You? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as John Wayne You a classic all American cowboy who does the right thing. When you're sober. Which means occasionally. You like horses, the outdoors, whiskey, hot tempered women, whiskey, and bourbon. John Wayne 100% Clint Eastwood 88% Lee Van Cleef 88% Lee Marvin 75% Charles Bronson 38%

What's The Catch?

  What???

 

 

 

 

Profound Truth

HER DIARY :


Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird.


We had made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it.


Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong; he said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior. I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.' When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent.


Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. To my surprise, he responded to my caress, and we made love. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.


HIS DIARY:
Harley wouldn't start today, but at least I got laid.

Vote For Me, Vote For ME!!!

I made it into the finals of the Haiku contest over at Sparrows... so, if you, my lone reader would vote for me, I’ll have two votes!!

Click HERE!!

You have until 10:00 pm Thursday the 5th.

BTW - The winner gets a delux care package sent to a solder of their choice that is serving in the sand box.

Traumatic Events

Yesterday while riding my RoadKing with my wife, we were witness to a lady falling off the back of a motor cycle. I heard the bike scream by, through the intersection. I was watching the light and other trafific when my wife started yelling, “she fell off, over there, that lady just fell off of that bike!!!”. Needleless to say, we stopped, so did a car or two. Someone had gauze she could use and I called 911. We all stayed until the EMTs, Fire and Police arrived. She'll be ok. Lots of road rash and a big gash in her forehead.

On the way home afterward, I drove a little slower. Even today, riding into work, I had that little heart race feeling as I accelerated to pass a car on an urban 4-lane.

All of this has me thinking about PTSD - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. We have experienced Traumatic stress. Different from PTSD in that it does not last for an extended period of time. When I leave work tonight, I suspect the heart race will be less than this morning and even less, if not gone, by this weekend. So, my thinking... imagine our troops...

My heart goes out to all Veterans. What little ‘trauma’ we experience is SO minimal compared to what they live with day in and day out.

IEDs...

Being shot at...

Rocket propelled grenades...

God bless our troops! You all are in my thoughts and prayers!

Prom In The Hood

Try 3 - the old fassion way...

********************************


Jar Jar, Lord Fauntleroy and Gunga Din ... take note of the numerous police vehicles and the ambulance!

Prom dresses sure have changed since I was in high school !

What is that around her neck?

Why all the 'POleece' in the background?

There is a Buick with missing seat covers somewhere in The Hood .

He stole that hat from Boy George ....

Do these dresses make our asses look fat? (No, your asses make these dresses look fat!)

What's holding those up?

No comment

Who's Yo Daddy?

Yikes!!

DOUBLE YIKES!!!!

The token white guy.

Oh...My...GAWD!!!!!

Yes, that is a helicopter on her head...

GhetToes - Yep

*****************************

Ha!! It worked this time!!!

FW: Fwd: FW: Prom Day in the Hood

Try #2

(didn't work either...)