A Brother From Another Mother

I found this in drafts.  I wrote it right after attending Dave's funeral. I didn't publish it because... I don't remember now.  Needing it to be perfect comes to mind, now.  Dirt just needs to be remembered.

BFAM

July 5th, 2010, David “DirtBike” Bailey, left us to stand a flag line with the heroes in heaven.

My brother, Dave 'Dirt Bike' Bailey at 'Dave Fest '09'. Signing my sons chair. He was in Iraq and these were 'luxury' items he said they really missed.






After over a year long fight with his cancer alien, God chose to bring him home and give him peace. As sad as I am at Dirt’s passing, I know his pain has ended and he is at peace. I can’t help but smile at the thought of him greeting heroes with hugs, telling stories and just being a blessing to everyone that he meets.

Ride forever free my friend and crack open those pipes for me, the pipes you hear screaming in California are mine and they cry with me, missing you. NOT like a punk, like the true American patriot that you are. Know that you are already sorely missed and will never be forgotten.

(grinns) I can still hear Dave saying, ‘Ridin Til I Rot’ and ‘Aint going out like no punk’. He did both. I am blessed for knowing him.

God’s blessings and peace be with Janet, the family and his friends.

Speedway Bill

A friend died last weekend. I am sadden by the loss and heartbroken that I could not return to Indiana for the funeral. The funeral was today.

I was there in spirit...

I've been thinking about him and his family all day.

I first met Bill in the summer of 2006. Memorial Day weekend. A 'come one, come all' invite had gone out to all Indiana Patriot Guard Riders to come on down to Speedway for a BBQ. For those that don't know, the Indianapolis 500 is actually not held in Indianapolis. It is in a small land locked town inside Indianapolis city limits called Speedway.

Bill and his family have lived there many years, 15 if I remember correctly. As I rode in on my '83 Shovel, making enough noise to wake the dead, Bill took notice and smiled. I walked over and introduced myself and immediately I was welcomed. "There's the food, the hog will be done about 6. The beer is in that cooler, soda in that one. Pull up a chair. Welcome." The same welcome happened several times and many new friendships were started.

We sat and chatted, under a checkerboard sign that read "Welcome Scuzy Mucks". A nick name given to the regulars that attended Bill's BBQs. I still smile when I say that name. I don't know that I ever fully became a 'Scuzzy Muck' to the other guys but to Bill, I was one of them.

Bill Mummert a.k.a. SpeedwayBill, was laid to rest today. His smile and selfless service for veterans and the Indiana Patriot Guard (IPG) will be greatly missed. Bill's family honored the IPG and invited us to attend his viewing and memorial service.

Rest in peace Bill and God's peace be with the family.

Touching The Face of Grace

I posted this one over at the Indiana Patriot Guard Riders blog.

Go.

Read.

Bring a tissue.

Another Birthday

U. S. M. C.

223 years today.

Happy birthday Marines!

While I was surfing around looking for something witty to post or link to, I came across this, The Marines’ Prayer. Found it at Marines.mil.

God bless the Marines, God bless my Marines.

Almighty Father, whose command is over all and whose love never fails, make me aware of Thy presence and obedient to Thy will. Keep me true to my best self, guarding me against dishonesty in purpose in deed and helping me to live so that I can face my fellow Marines, my loved ones and Thee without shame or fear. Protect my family. Give me the will to do the work of a Marine and to accept my share of responsibilities with vigor and enthusiasm. Grant me the courage to be proficient in my daily performance. Keep me loyal and faithful to my superiors and to the duties my country and the Marine Corps have entrusted to me. Make me considerate of those committed to my leadership. Help me to wear my uniform with dignity, and let it remind

This One's Over There

You may remember I run or post on several blogs.

Todays post is over at Indiana Patriot Guard Riders Blog.

Go.

Read.

Remember them.

h/t to CJ.

Thankful - III

Week 3
Week 2 - Re-cap
Week 1 - The reason for this Thankful thing

One has to be this weather. At least in central Indiana. It was 78 and 85 this weekend. The missus and I rode through Brown County (south central Indiana) Saturday. It was beautiful. All of the fall colors, warm sun and not a cloud in the sky. If you didn’t get outside this weekend, you missed a great October day. And yes, I’ll be thankful for the snow and cold when it comes. May slow down the riding some (yeah, right) but I do love snow and colder weather. (And DC says “that’s because you don’t have to work out in it! Bioych”. Hahaha)

The next thing has to be today, and everything it encompasses. We are in the midst of a technological revolution and thanks to $4+ a gallon gas we are in for a energy revolution. Seriously, stop for a second and think about what is happening around you, hell even this very second... you are reading the blathering words of a guy in central Indiana and these meandering words can be read by just about anybody in the world within in seconds of ‘publishing’. That IS incredible.

Lastly this week has to be the blogosphere. I know, I know... very similar to the above but no, not really. Bear with me for a sec. I’d guess I read 20 maybe 30 blogs, then some of those have guest posters or multiple people posting. No matter my mood I always find someone that agrees with me and someone that totally disagrees with me. There is always someone that had a weekend experience that makes me laugh and laugh hard. There is someone that has had a hard weekend and I cry a little with them. Maybe not friends in the ‘come over and help paint your kitchen’ but friends, none the less. I get to laugh and share a like experience, offer encouragement, rejoice and be humbled.

Jim and Flo, God bless.

[Edit - Grrrr, typos]

Johnny Smith

Wabash College here in Indiana has had a tragic death from drinking.

Hoosierboy has a post up regarding the issues and consequences.

Go. Read. He said it so much better than I ever could.

Thankful - II

A brief re-cap;

Basically the idea is to list 3 things you are thankful for each week from now until Thanksgiving and with each post give a little to a charity. My donations are going to Independent Veterans Society of Indiana. The money gathered will be given to Flo and Jim. Flo and Jim are from North Indiana. They are IPGR (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) members, Veteran supporters, Jim is a Vet and their son is serving in the Army. During the floods surrounding the passing of hurricane Ike a while ago, these fine folks lost everything....

This week I am thankful for;
1 - My family, a wonderful wife and 2 healthy boys. The wife and I got to take both boys to dinner Saturday night.... (that will have to be another post)
2 - This country. I could not imagine living anywhere else.
3 - Our troops. Without them, none of this would be possible.

Go. Donate. I just did.

Click here to donate.
Click here for the week 1 post.

I AM Thankful

I read about a little fund raiser over at LL’s, she is replicating the idea from Major Pain. Basically the idea is to list 3 things you are thankful for each week from now until Thanksgiving and with each post give a little to a charity. They are donating to anysolder.com. A very worth cause. Their posts will be on Sundays, mine will be on Mondays.

I’ve decided to hi-jack this idea and bring it a little closer to home.

Flo and Jim are from North Indiana. They are IPGR (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) members, Veteran supporters, Jim is a Vet and their son is serving in the Army.

During the floods surrounding the passing of hurricane Ike a couple weeks ago, these fine folks lost everything....

“Everything”, An interesting word. Seems to be thrown around a lot these days. Let me quantify their loss for you.

Home - still standing. Uninhabitable. Lived some time in a camper/trailer without electricity. Still in the camper/trailer but now with a generator. Some time soon they will move into an apartment. Mortgage AND rent, that’s effectively two house payments. On a fixed income.
Food - if it wasn’t canned, it’s gone. And even some of that floated away.
Clothing - if they weren’t wearing it, it’s gone. Mold, mildew, rot.
Cars - still own them. Their full of water, mud and crud. It’s amazing how fast things rust away when they get water where they’re not suppose to.
Health - Jim is a disable Veteran. What he physically can do, he’s not allowed to do. He has been ordered to not enter their home again until it is cleaned up. Flo has lost her voice from breathing all of the mold and mildew filled air in the house.
Stuff - furniture, pretty must all water logged, guess they didn’t loose it but it is useless. What was left someone tried to loot. Yes, I said loot. They were stopped but still...
Family - Their son was home on leave from Iraq. The military has seen fit to not send him back to Iraq immediately but they have recalled him to his base in Texas. That didn’t help much.

So.

I’m thankful for;
1 - My home. As frustrating as it can be sometimes, without it, I would be lost.
2 - Friemily (Friends and Family). Not just blood relatives but these (you) people that I call friends. You are a support structure I know is there.
3 - My job *urp*. Seriously, I am paid well. I live well. And because of it, I can help.

With this post starts my pledge of $10 a week. If you’d like to join me, go to Independent Veterans Society of Indiana and click on the donate button (lower right of page). $10 bucks isn’t a lot but if 10 of us do it, that’s $100 a week and by Thanksgiving...

Please join me, won’t you?

Respect,

DNR

2008 Ride to Remember 9/11

2008 Ride to remember.

The Silence Is Broken

The Silence Is Broken

It has been quiet around Indiana for quite some time now.

We’ve been busy with poker runs and rides to remember the heroes that have passed. We’ve been having fund raisers and packing care packages. 3,000 Indiana National Guard troops deployed in January and we promised them all a care package.

About 50 of us were there that day, 02JAN08, sending them off. A silent thought ran through our group, a thought that no one dared speak. ‘what we do’ As we hugged random men and women (more like kids, as I find myself aging) we wished them well and promised them a home coming that would be second to none. But that thought... we all knew some would be home sooner.

I know we hoped against hope and prayed that we would... could be obsolete. That we would not have to ‘do what we do’.

Today, this week, we have been called. Personally, I have been called twice. The ultimate price has been paid yet again for my freedom and yours. Over the next week or 10 days the Indiana Patriot Guard will honor three of Indiana’s sons.

Sgt. Gary M. Henry, 34, of Indianapolis, Ind.

Spc. Jonathan D. Menke, 22, of Madison, Ind.

These men were killed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Aug. 4 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when debris from an improvised explosive device detonation on an overpass fell onto their vehicle. They were assigned to the 38th Military Police Company, 38th Infantry Division, Indiana Army National Guard, Danville, Ind. -- DOD

Sgt. Brian K. Miller, 37, of Pendleton, Ind

Sgt. Miller, died Aug. 2 in Abd Allah, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a vehicle accident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana Army National Guard, Fort Wayne, Ind. -- DOD


Thank you, gentlemen, for your service. And your sacrifice. It, nor you, will be forgotten.

To your families - It is our honor to stand with you and for your son. The sacrifice you have made for me and my country will be cherished. God bless and be with you all. I pray that his peace be with you and guide you through these days. Know that Gary, John and Brian will not be forgotten.

Rembering the USS Indianapolis

Rembering the USS Indianapolis.

SSG Norman H. Currin

This weekend a friend of mine had the honor of standing next to a Vietnam hero as he passed in Hospice care. I personally had never met Norm, I truly wish I had. We, the people of this world, are less as a whole from the loss of such a strong and caring man.

God bless and be with the Currin family and friends. SSG Currin, Norman H., will not be forgotten.

These are her words.

Before you go and while I still have your attnetion, I'd like to pre-echo Kat's words.
To those who served in Vietnam and were unappreciated, I offer my genuine and heartfelt gratitude. Know that you made a difference - know that we are proud of you, know that you are dearly and truly loved. And for those who never once have heard it said in all this time: Welcome home. You did us proud.

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


This weekend, I lost a friend and hero. He was the living embodiment of all a hero should be, and was strong till the end. In an attempt to process everything that has happened, and so that I always remember, I've written this below:

SSG Norman H. Currin went to be with the Lord shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, 2008.

Exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War messed him up. For thirteen years, he fought serious physical problems all the time. Six of those years, he got dialysis 3 times a week and for many years was also confined to a wheelchair.

The last six months were a whirlwind of hospital stays back-to-back-to-back - strokes, pnumonia, complications from being a dialysis patient, infection of his dialysis port & bedsores, and lastly, a massive heart attack on Tuesday. Nothing the docs could have done would have saved him, the treatments would have killed him. Norman bravely made the decision to accept hospice care.

Despite massive amounts of morphine and being in a medically-induced coma, he still communicated. He'd squeeze our hands when we said certain things (any of his friends' names or anything about motorcycles, the military, or especially his dear family, for example). The day before he died, while on "enough morphine to choke a horse" (said the nurse), he fully and completely woke up and looked at each one of us - plain as day told each of us one by one, "I love you." He was holding my hand so tightly, my hand fell asleep. He held my hand and the hands of his family and friends strongly off and on for hours all weekend- always his squeezes were in response to something that was said to him, not simply random.

About 3 hours before he left us, he woke up again. He couldn't open his eyes or talk, tho he was obviously trying. He would turn in the direction of our voices and smile -. SMILE!! - at us. Then he slipped back into his deep sleep once more...Shortly thereafter, his lungs were completely filled with fluid as a result of no dialysis for the past week --- a few more brave (but ineffective) breaths, and he was gone.

A phone call was made as planned upon his passing, and others from the Patriot Guard Riders, together with some riders from the Wingmen and Sons of Thunder who were his dearest, dearest friends, came to the hospital and escorted him and his family to the funeral home in the middle of the night. Talk about an amazing and humbling honor.

He was treated cruelly upon his return from Vietnam, as so many of our veterans were. But I have not the slightest doubt that in Heaven, God made it up to him hugely with the biggest, best welcome home parade and celebration EVER.

Freedom is not free. Those who fight for it - now and in past conflicts - deserve our utmost honor and respect. We will never fully know or understand all they sacrificed on our behalf. To those who served in Vietnam and were unappreciated, I offer my genuine and heartfelt gratitude. Know that you made a difference - know that we are proud of you, know that you are dearly and truly loved. And for those who never once have heard it said in all this time: Welcome home. You did us proud.

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!

Vote for Carolyn, Please

Carolyn Maupin (Matt Maupin’s mother) is in the running for mother of the year. If you don’t know who the Maupin’s are, Google them.

Go here to vote, yeah, you have to register but to me, for a Gold Star Mom that had to go years without knowing... a little spam (if they sell my e-mail) is worth it.

Thanks for your help.

DNR

The Cactus Cuties

Ladies and gentlemen.
The United States National Anthem, the way it is meant to be sung.

Andi Kitten - 11
Baylee Barrett - 13
Madeline Powell - 8
Tatum Lowe - 11
Blaire Elbert - 10
Directed by Cami Caldwell

You may need a tissue, I did.

Edit 04MAR08 - If the video won't play try this link. ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284

A Sad Day in the Burgh

I lived the first 18 or so years of my life in the Pittsburgh suburbs. Coraopolis, Moon, Beaver. I also lived through the 'Decade of Champions'. The years between 1970 and 1980 when Pittsburgh ruled the sports world.

The Steelers were;
AFC Central Division Champs: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979,
AFC Conference Champs: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979,
Super Bowl Champs: 1974 (IX), 1975 (X), 1978 (XIII), 1979 (XIV),
The Pirates were;
East division Champs: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979
NL Pennant Champs: 1971, 1979
World Series Champs: 1971, 1979

Talk about cementing a young kids love for a city... growing up with champions like these was incredible.

Throughout all of the football years was a radio announcer, Myron Cope. Myron invented the Terrible Towel. If you have ever seen a Pittsburgh Steelers football game you have seen them. the Steelers Nation takes them to every game.

I still have my original one form the early-mid '70s. I also have a couple plane ones and three 35th anniversary ones.

Sadly, though, Wednesday the legend, the voice or Steelers radio, the man, died. Myron Cope... I spent so many Sundays in the car with mom and dad driving from our home in Moon Township to Tarentum to visit grandma. We always had the radio on to hear the Steelers game and Myron was there.

He will be missed greatly by me and the Steeler Nation that he helped create.

Another Hero Passes

Saturday I rode to honor Sergeant First Class (retired) Robert (Bob) Sherill. Bob passed after an extended battle with cancer in his throat. Bob was a retired for the Indiana National Guard after 23 years. His service included deployment to Bosnia.

22 Patriot Guard Riders were in attendance to honor the man, SFC Sherill.

A true American hero. God bless the family and friends.

Go here to read from the local paper...

Tis’ Better To Be Quiet And Thought A Fool, Than To Speak And Remove All Doubt.

Received this in an e-mail the other day. HT to SpeedBump, Thanks!!

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When in England at a 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." It became very quiet in the room.

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

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?" Once again, dead silence.

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

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 its because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.' You could have heard a pin drop!

In Memoriam

I had jokes published for today. Then I received this. I'll re-post the jokes later, this needs to be seen.

60 years after WWII

Please read the little cartoon carefully, it's powerful.

We cannot, we must not, ever forget what happened in Europe over 60 years ago, because it could happen again. Anyone, any group, could be the target. It has been said that those who refuse to study history are doomed to repeat it. In this case, those who are attempting to rewrite history are probably planning to repeat it! The hatred is already there, in place, taught to the children from infancy, with promises of glory and honor to those who carry out the plans.

In Memoriam

The Non Sequitur Home Page

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. I recieved this in e-mail. It has been sent sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the 6,000,000 (six million) Jews, 20,000,000 (twenty million) Russians, 10,000,000 (ten million) Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russia peoples looking the other way!

Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be "a myth," it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

The Islamic extremists are bent on the same thing that Hitler and Stalin were. The conquest of the world and the destruction of anyone who doesn't believe the way they do. The rest of the Muslims who say or do nothing about them are as guilty as the extremists.