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.

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.

Blog Roll and...

My old blog roll host has gone away. I'm trying to use the new 'blogs I follow' here in blogger but it seems short... I read a bunch more than this. AND it doesn’t seem to go get all of the Google Reader blogs... Grrrr!!

If you were in the old blog roll and don't see your blog in the list below (down under the “They Say IT... NOT ME!!” section), let me know. I’ll do my best to get you added.

After the tattoo party last weekend (I think they totaled 18 people, 2 being tat virgins) and a weekend long search and rescue class, I'm beat and SO far behind at work it may be a day or two before I get caught up.

I need to go edit those pictures I sent in. One police officer and one fire fighter and me. Verizon adds so much crap in pix messages. I'll add some comments and re-post them, I have some more pictures too. Can you imagine getting a tattoo that big on your ribs? This weekend was his 2nd session, they are estimating 2 more, minimum. He'll have close to 30 hours in it when it's done.

Don't worry, the next installment in the Thankful series is in the works.

Also working a PGR mission for this Friday. A Korean War vet, double bronze star recipient. Not as hard on me as an Iraq or Afghanistan KIA, but still...

Better get back to it.

Be good, read ya latter!

Hey Indiana

Clicker for bigger...

The Price of Freedom

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.

10th Mountain Division

During the trip out west, we spent about a day with two fantastic people. Joe and Lois. We met them at the USS Indianapolis Survivors reunion parade here in Indy last year. Lois is the niece of one of the survivors. Great people, fed us, let us stay in their mountain cabin. The 3br, 3ba, 2 car ga ‘cabin’ complete with a deck with the views noted below is their summer retreat, they call it a cabin, I call it a resort...

Anyway...

In one of our many military based conversations, Joe tells us about the previous owner of his cabin. If I remember correctly, the guy (his name escapes me) was a member of the 10th Mountain Division in WWII. He built the cabin up there at 7-8k feet 50+ years ago when there was nothing. I cannot imagine. I got winded up there just going up 4-5 steps on their deck, little lone ‘build’ something up there. Hell, pilots have to put on oxygen at 10,000 feet.

Joe and Lois added on to the cabin a few years ago, so it a bit larger now but still the most awesome views.

Many other 10th Mountain guys returned from the French and Italian Alps, loving the mountains, to start and revitalize the ski slopes that now dominate the Rocky Mountain landscape.

In that discussion Joe starts telling us about a book. One of the guys from the 10th Mountain comes home and puts together a multi picture ‘scrap book’ (I believe there was 1,000 pictures) complete with descriptions and comments about each picture. The comments include locations, men’s names and their ranks. In hauntingly many cases there are “... was killed weeks after this picture was taken.” Or “... died of injuries sustained 6 months after this.”

He made 1,000 copies.

OK... let that sink in. 1,000 copies... in post WWII America there is not a Kinko’s down around the corner. No color copiers or printers. You didn’t place all the pictures in a graphics editor and print it. This guy had 1,000 copies of each photograph printed and mounted each in a book along with the description. Now that’s dedication to recording history. We need that today.... but that's another post.

Sometime in there while we are talking, Joe disappears and comes back with a copy of 'the book'. One of the original, photographs printed in sepia because that’s how they printed them, copies. As I’m flipping through the pages, in complete awe of the history in my hands, I came across this photo and caption.

To me. This says it all about cards, letters and care packages for our troops.



Everyone knows someone that knows someone currently in the sand box.

Go.

Now.

Get their address, send them something. Tell them thanks, tell them you’re proud of their service.

Even if you never hear from them, they'll appriciate it. Really.

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.

What Kind of World Do You Want?

From my friend PugMan;

PugMan
Brownsburg, IN

13 May 2008 1604 Hrs

John Ondrasik (the singer-songwriter who is Five for Fighting) is one of the most pro-GI people in pop music. And in this video, it shows. You may have heard the song before but this video is new. In the beginning, he goes into a pawn shop to pawn a flag... the pawnbroker is in his sixties, and over his shoulder you see a photo of a young Vietnam era warrant officer with aviator wings and the MOH. Yes, that's really a Medal of honor winner--not an actor.

Click here for the video.

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Dale [PugMan] Taylor
Still riding - Still serving
IN PGR Ride Captain
Assistant Director / Comm Officer
American Legion Riders
Post 500 Speedway, IN

What an Honor

A friend, PO1 Hansel, Darrel, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, has returned from Kuwait. He has been there for over 9 months.

Back here, I won this contest and had Sparrow send the care package to him. Over Christmas, his wife organized a couple large boxes of donations of Christmas decorations for them to use. His duty involved processing all (yes ALL) outbound (and inbound, I think) soldiers from Iraq or Afghanistan. During the holidays, all that passed through were treated to a very American Christmas, complete with decorations all over the offices, mess hall and sleeping quarters. He says it made many a soldier smile.

Darrel has been greatly missed by family and friends but especially his wife, my friend and co-worker, Debi. So much so that she drove to Bethesda to pick him up and bring him home.

My thoughts regarding a welcome home surprise for them surrounded her initial plan (so she had said before she left) was to hang out there for a few days, leisurely drive home spend some time in the mountains ‘sight seeing’... (yeah, right). Then be home Saturday. I was making plans to meet them on the road just outside of Indy and escort them home, set a bunch of flags around their home and welcome him home proper.

BUT NOOOooo!!! Once on US soil and processed out, the Hansel Express drove home like... like he hadn’t been home in 9 months. Something about a new grandbaby, (phft, whatever) I heard later. Anyway, they got home about 4 yesterday (Thursday) afternoon.

Best I could do was ride over and welcome him home personally. Not quite the honor he deserves, so we’ll have to see about something big at a later date.

After the hugs, ‘glad your back’, ‘you look great’, ‘great to be back’, ‘thanks for the care package’, etc., we got to talking about my vest and some of the patches on it. Across the top, on my back is a patch of a folded flag that says "IN MEMORIAM”, surrounding it are patches of some of the most meaningful rides, or events I have been on. All are in memory of a veteran that is no longer with us, one from Vietnam, one from Iraq, one for Greg Bowman.

*deep breath*

While there [in Kuwait], just before Christmas, they, the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, lost their only, every, war time fatality. PO1 Jeffries, Victor W., 52, Honolulu, HI.
PO1 Jeffries “...died of injuries suffered during a vehicular accident in Kuwait.”. The Support Group designed a patch for Victor.

So, we’re standing there talking and Darrel disappears, andI can here him mumbling something about a patch. I look around the corner and he is digging through a sea bag, he pulls out a patch and says as he hands it to me... *deep breath* “I was wondering on the way home what I was going to do with this. I can think of no better honor than to give it to you and for you wear it on your vest.”

Sweet baby Jesus, I’m still all teary.

Good God what an honor!!!
(as soon as I can get a scan, I'll post it)


Related:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1445-07
December 31, 2007


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DoD Identifies Navy Casualty

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

Petty Officer 1st Class Victor W. Jeffries, 52, of Honolulu, Hawaii, died Dec. 31, 2007 as a result of injuries suffered Dec. 24 in a vehicular accident in Kuwait. He was permanently assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, Kuwait.

For further information related to this release, contact Navy Public Affairs at 011 (965) 389-6335 or DSN (318) 430-6335.

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Petty Officer 1st Class Victor W. Jeffries' awards include;

The Navy Reserve Meritorious Service Medal,
National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star,
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal,
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,
Armed Forces Reserve Service Medal with mobilization device and bronze hourglass,
Navy Unit Commendation Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon,
The Army Achievement Medal and
The Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.

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(If you read nothing else, read this first one)
Unites States Army Central - Coalition Forces Land Component Command
Faces of The Fallen - Wahsington Post
Honolulu Advertiser

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

I Love Karma

Background -
Albert Snyder, father of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, sued the WBC and was awarded $5 million dollars after their protest at his son’s funeral.

The WBC is the group that forced the formation of the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR). They travel around the country protesting at the funerals of service members that have been killed in the War on Terror. It is said that they fund there travel by suing anyone that physically strikes out at them.

Thus we (The PGR) are a shield for the family. We do not confront, we stand, with our backs to them, shoulder to shoulder, with 3x4 flags and if required will start motorcycles to drown them out.

The story -
I love this line, “A federal judge in Baltimore ordered Westboro Baptist Church members to post their church building and nearly $500,000 more in cash and property while appealing a judgment for protesting a Marine’s funeral.”

You can read the rest of the story here.

You Need to Read This

Open Letter From an Army Wife

Top Cop

I just received an e-mail about a Swayzee, Indiana Deputy Chief Mike Jones. Mike is in the running for America’s Most Wanted All-Star. This is what is posted about him:

On December 29, 2007, Deputy Chief Mike Jones responded to a 911 call. Arriving first at the scene he was told that three small children were still in the house. Taking only a small extinguisher, he entered without hesitation where he found the fire was raging. Realizing the extinguisher was inadequate, he concentrated on finding the children. With heavy black smoke bellowing he entered three times before he was able to save the lives of the children, ages 1, 2 and 3. Thanks to his persistent attitude and his disregard for risk of personal injury, the children survived the ordeal. He was awarded the Indiana Governor's Heroism Award, the Congressional Commendation. In addition, he received the life saving award and certificate of Lifesaving medal. He also earned the Swayzee Fire Department Merit Award and lastly the Indiana Heroes Award presented by the Basketball team Indiana Pacers. His career in Law Enforcement began in 2002 and his extensive training included CPR Adult, Child and Infant and also First Aid/AED.

I’d beg you to vote for him here (daily) but my knees are hurting. So, maybe you can just imagine me kneeling and begging you to go vote for Mike.

Thanks!!

DNR