Overheard

Sitting in an airport BBQ restaurant I overheard a NWA Captain buy the lunch of 5 Navy seamen.

Warms the heart.
I had to thank him my self.

Seems Uncle Sam

...wants MY son.

Just got off the phone with my son. Seems the man I didn't vote for and have very little, if any, respect for has decided he needs my son to fight for him.

I've decided not to look at it that way. My country has asked... You have asked and he has said yes.

He says we'll know more next weekend.

I couldn't be more scared.
I couldn't be more proud.

Stay tuned for details and don't tell the missus. Nick and I agreed not to tell her till he knew for sure.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

We... He Won

Remember this?

Web Design

Well, with 112,000 votes, it seems CJ and the They Have Names site one a free web page make over. Thanks to everyone that voted. I can't wait to see the new page.

Today's Word Is 'Cold' - Take 2

... and sore.

Last time I rode was the long over due 'Therpy' session I had. Today, riding for SSG Burkholder was hard on this old man.

It was 20 here when I pulled out at 1:30 am... seems to me last tome I did this I said something about using a windshield next time. Well, maybe NEXT time.

Door step to staging area was 125 miles, about 2 hours. Things weren't to bad, fingers were a little cold and so were my toes but over all I was doing ok.


Semper Gumbi

The Illinois part of the escort was suppose to stop where we were, regroup, then all of us were going to head down the road.

5 or 6 of us were sitting at a weigh station and we could see about half a mile down the interstate. Blink, blink - we could see the Illinois State Police Escort coming down the highway, when 'zooom', they went screaming by at about 80 miles per hour. The RC (Dan) had this look of dismay mixed with frustration on his face and everyone else was looking at him like, 'WTF - Wow That was Fantastic'. Dan gathered himself and barked 'mount up. Looks like we're gonna have to catch them!'.

The Indina State police escort we were to have jumped in their cars the couple other riders there got on their bikes and 'vroom' everyone was off... except me. See, I know if i sit around fully dressed, I'll start sweating, then when we start riding again I'll freeze. So, put on my gloves, and face mask, zip up my coat, fire up the 'ol therapist and hit the road.

By now everyone is out of sight. I hit 90 for a mile or two and caught them in about 10 miles. Took my place at the rear of the procession right in front of the last police car. He never did ask me what I did to catch up. I wasn't about to tell him either.

The next stop was Mt. Comfort exit on I-70, just east of Indianapolis. This leg was just under a hundred miles. When I got off the bike I could not feel my fingers and I couldn't stop shivering. Being that cold was uncomfortable. Maybe I should be more like the other old guys and buy some electric gear, at least start using the windshield when it is under 32. I called it a day and as the group left heading for Ohio I headed home.

240 miles in 20 degree weather, a long hot shower and a nap with a heating pad and I was ready for the day to begin... after all... it was just 10 o'clock... am.

Help me!

Web Design

Please vote for CJ and the They Have Names site for getting a professional make over.
Click on the ‘Ranked’ button above, then click on the pink ‘Ranked ___ vote now’ button. (You’ll need to scroll down a bit.)

I’m not sure I can even begin to list all of the things CJ dose for the Troops but I do know one thing he does and that’s manage and dedicate his time and money to is the web site “They Have Names”.

If he gets enough votes, the web site will get a professional make over.

So, vote, please. And remember, you can re-vote daily.

Oh, and if you are wondering why CJ does this, read here.

PS: this post stays on top until the contest closes on 15FEB09.

Holy Crap, 2nd Place

Last time I looked CJ was in 3rd at like 3,000 votes to 12,000… Now he over 22,000!!

Holy Crap!!

Go CJ Go!!

If you haven’t voted, please do. And remember, you can vote once a day.

Edit - Holy holy crap crap!!! CJ's now 1st with over 25,000 votes!!!
WHOO HOOO!!!
BTW - Its been just over 3 hours.

Welcome Home

Welcome home!
2-150FA, Bloomington Indiana.

Touching The Face of Grace

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

Go.

Read.

Bring a tissue.

Thankful - VIII

The 3,000 troops we sent off to Iraq in January are beginning to return home. The first group of 100 returned to the New Indianapolis International terminal. Over about the next 30-45 days, they will all be home. I am thankful that a great majority have returned or are returning safely.

Companionship of a dog(s). I know, seems kind of shallow. This is definitely one of those “if you don’t understand, I can’t explain” kind of things.

40 + years. Yea, the day is near. Another year older. It’s been a good run. Here’s to another 40!

And here’s to another 10, click here to donate to Jim and Flo... and God bless you.

Happy Day

A Veterans day Thanks for you.

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

City of Sacramento Dishonors Veterans

I received this e-mail over the weekend.

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

I spent many hours on the phone with various agencies within the Sacramento government trying to get an answer to why the city is celebrating Veterans Day by taking the day off, but not planning ANYTHING to honor our troops. Check this out and make it viral. Make Sacramento provide answers!
http://www.soldiersperspective.us/2008/10/31/exclusive-california-capital-ignores-veterans/


--
CJ
A Soldier's Perspective
www.soldiersperspective.us
They Have names
www.theyhavenames.com
You Served
www.youserved.com
You Served Weekly BlogTalkRadio Podcast
www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved

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

Hey Indiana

Clicker for bigger...

So Far...

I received this from our (Indiana Patriot Guard Riders) State Captain Monday (the 12th); As of 9/12/2008 we had sent or paid to be sent approximately 1000 care packages overseas to our troops. On 9/13/2008 we sent another 2000 pounds of care packages to our troops overseas.

We have another 2000 pounds of care packages that we will send hopefully sometime this week.

So in total, after the next sending, we will have sent approximately 9000 pounds of care packages to our troops. Each and everyone involved in this, whether it was at a fund raiser - giving or working - or helping packing or repacking your efforts have made the lives and service of our troops overseas somewhat easier and in doing so they know that we care.

Our Indiana Cares Project that was undertaken this summer for our troops was a huge effort and success. To many people and businesses to mention one by one but each of you know who you are and who the businesses were that stepped up. God Bless each of you for what you do.

The Price of Freedom

Troop suport ralley in Noblesville

Marine Family Day in Indianapolis

I can only e-mail 15 seconds worth of video, so these are short.

My son is in there someplace...

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.