Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier ~ Thank You!

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American Veterans, Benghazi petition, heroes, honor, military, patriots, truth, veterans, Veterans' Day

EVERY VETERAN’S DAY, I stand with millions of Americans in debt to all Patriots who have gone before us in service to our great nation. Though I am a Vet, I served in time of peace, and dared to wear the same uniform as those brave souls who faced cunning and ruthless enemies. It is a debt I cannot repay, but it is a debt for which I am and grateful. I only wish more, particularly young people, had a better grasp of the ugliness of oppression experienced in other parts of our world. Maybe then, their appreciation of the liberties we yet enjoy would be greater.

Washington at Valley Forge. Lithograph by F. Heppenheimer, 1853.

THIS VETERAN’S DAY, there is a dark shadow looming overhead as our President continues to stonewall and dodge the questions of the American people concerning the Benghazi fiasco. CIA Directer Gen Petraeus resigned this week to avoid inquiry. Gen Ham of AFRICOM was “fired” after refusing to obey the order to “Stand down!” There is a general PURGE as President Obama removes record numbers of senior military officials. There are several websites collecting signatures on petitions, but I selected the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ). Please take a minute and stand on our enduring Oath to “Support & Defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic … ” Do this in memory of our fallen comrades. Do this to honor the memory of all who have served and given their all for their nation. And Pray …

BENGHAZI UPDATES:

• Paul: Benghazi should preclude Clinton from presidency
• Ratcheting Up Benghazi Questions
• Benghazi: Can Survivors Answer the Growing List of Questions?
• CBS: Government has put ‘extraordinary amount of pressure’ on people not to talk Benghazi

Pray for:

• the TRUTH about the Benghazi attack, “Fast & Furious,” the downed chinook with 20 members of elite Seal6 aboard for starters;
• a unified American people;
• a clear and vibrant vision for the future; and
• an honest effort to reclaim the moral high ground of American Values

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Never Forget

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Independence Day, July 4th, Memorial Day, Veterans' Day

This Memorial Day … Take a Minute to REMEMBER

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freedom isn't free, Memorial Day, TAPS, Veterans' Day

The Military lifestyle is unique – much different than one might expect! Since people come and go every few months or so, friendships are formed quickly, and in many cases, more deeply, especially if there’s combat deployment involved. It really feels like a family which is part of the charm of military life. They may leave the blood family behind in the states, but they are a family in uniform wherever they are posted.

“Above all, we must realize that no arsenal,
or no weapon in the arsenals of the world,
is so formidable as the will and moral courage
of free men and women.
It is a weapon our adversaries
in today’s world do not have.”
Ronald Reagan

SOLDIERS’ OATH: “I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

Generations of our young men and women have served in uniform in times of war and in times of peace, their sacrifice given selflessly. Once a Vet, always a Vet!

It is a great thing to don the uniform of the united States military. It is sobering and thrilling at the same time. It is not only a physical challenge, but more importantly, a mental challenge. Military life involves tackling skills that are for the most part foreign to civilians. It involves little things like wearing long sleeves even when it’s over 100ºF in the desert or soaked boots in jungle swamps. It involves separation from friends and family for extended periods of time, including such things as graduations, weddings, and baby births. Even with today’s communication possibilities, it often means communication gaps of weeks. And that’s the easy stuff! Why do they do it? It’s a “calling!” But sometimes that calling requires everything. For these who gave all, we mourn and give thanks!

24 Notes That Tap Deep Emotions
By MSG Jari A. Villanueva, USAF

THANK YOU, VETS
WW11, Korea, Viet Nam, Grenada, Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan
And all others who have served the cause of FREEDOM
at home and around the world

The first use of Taps at a funeral occurred in 1862 during the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia. Usually, three volleys were fired during a military burial service. This practice may have originated in the old custom of halting the fighting to remove the dead from the battlefield. Once each army had cleared its dead, it would fire three volleys to indicate that deceased soldiers had been cared for and that the army was ready to resume the fight. The tradition of firing the three volleys at funerals was noted in regulations and manuals. (In modern-day ceremonies, the fact that the firing party consists of seven riflemen firing three volleys does not constitute a twenty-one gun salute; that is only rendered by cannon firing twenty-one times.) MORE HERE

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

For decades, the Tomb of the Unknown has served to represent any and all lost in battle for the preservation of Freedom. “At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union shot down a U-2 reconnaissance plane deep inside Russia on May 1, 1960. The plane was being operated by the Central Intelligence Agency and was piloted by Francis Gary Powers. Powers was held and tried for espionage by the Russians. He was convicted and was sentenced to ten years in a Soviet Prison. He served less than two years, and was exchanged for a convicted Soviet Spy being held in the United States. On February 10, 1962, he was released from captivity at the Glienicker-Brucke Bridge between East and West Germany. Powers returned to the United States and was exonerated by the US Congress after he returned home in 1962 and his reputation cleared on May 1, 2000 when he was posthumously awarded the POW Medal and CIA’s Director’s Medal on the 40th anniversary of the shoot down. He found employment as a reporter with KNBC in Los Angeles and on August 1, 1977, he died in a helicopter crash while covering a story on a brush fire near Los Angeles. He is interred in Section 11, Grave 685-2.” MORE HERE

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Why Remember Memorial Day?

Our Moral Conviction of FREEDOM

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Amoral Minority, Independence Day, July 4th, Memorial Day, Moral Convictions, Veterans' Day

Not counting, but how many national issues are on the table now?
Let’s see – in no particular order

• IRAN: Middle East tensions, Anti-Semitism, NUKES
• GLOBAL & US ECONOMY: National Debt, Global debt, US Budget (or lack thereof), CUT-CAP&BALANCE
• ELECTION 2012: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, 2nd Amendment Rights, States’ Rights, JOBS-JOBS-JOBS
• Illegal Immigration
• Domestic Energy Production or climate change
• OBAMACARE & the US CONSTITUTION: NDAA 2012-2013, Patriot Act, FREEDOM
• USA United again!: civility, racial slurs, violent language among the LEADERS

What did I miss?

As I approach this Memorial Day weekend, sober, our nation is in a heap of trouble! I think that might be one things most Americans DO agree on. The differences arrive when the debates begins over HOW to repair the damage and what the priorities are. I can make this as complicated as I wish, but, you know, it really isn’t so complicated! It’s a choice! We can focus on what’s WRONG … OR we can focus on what WE – what you and I can do! RIGHT?

BUT … while it is cool to be CIVIL with one another, that, by no means, being a doormat for the a-moral minority that has the tendency for NOISE! There is a time to turn the other cheek, and there is a time to strike back – not by THEIR rules, but by moral strength! You see, the thing Conservatives have that most Liberals do not have is moral conviction. Conservatives believe, for example, that abortion is immoral because life begins at conception. This is a MORAL CONVICTION upon which most Conservatives live. When life is governed by a firm set of concepts, it is less vulnerable to the changing political winds. We cannot afford to allow this amoral minority to legislate our lives any longer!

The greatest MORAL CONVICTION Conservatives stand on is FREEDOM! We understand that our Constitution guarantees us the freedoms of LIFE, LIBERTY, and the Pursuit of Happiness … pursuit being the operative word. We are not guaranteed happiness because that is an individual thing. What we ARE promised is the opportunity to pursue our personal interpretation of happiness whether that is money, power, music, farming, or everything in between! Each American has to make that determination for him or her self.

“We believe, as our founders did, that
‘the pursuit of happiness’ depends upon individual liberty;
and individual liberty requires limited government.”
Senator Paul Ryan

THIS is the FREEDOM that has built this nation, and this is the FREEDOM men and women have died to gain and retain for 236 years now in this nation, and for many thousands of years elsewhere. FREEDOM is hard to maintain – so hard that it struggles through the storms of political leaders and moral decline, and yet it burns on. It cannot be doused by defeat. It cannot be conquered by compromise.

Since those first shots were fired in Massachusetts, men and women have willingly fought and died to obtain the freedom we cling to now with our guns and our God! The poem inscribed on Lady Liberty’s scroll calls for all who long for the taste of FREEDOM to come … come and partake of the bountiful blessings of this land. Come, see if you can build a life here in this land.

Why Do We Observe Veterans Day?

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Afghanistan War Vets, Allied nations, armistice, freedom isn't free, Grenada Vets, Gulf War Vets, History of Veterans' Day, Iraq War Vets, Korean War Vets, thank you, Tomb of the Unknown, Treaty of Versailles, Veterans' Day, Vietnam war Vets, WW1 Vets, WW2 Vets

Soldiers of the 353rd Infantry near a church at Stenay, Meuse in France, wait for the end of hostilities. This photo was taken at 10:58 a.m., on November 11, 1918, two minutes before the armistice ending World War I went into effect

“World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” (If only it was so!)

We often hear how Freedom isn’t Free, and that there is a cost for the Freedom we enjoy in America. Like it or not, millions of Americans of all races, all creeds, all denominations have committed their lives, put their own blood on the line to preserve our way of life and defend our Constitution. Ironically, while one of the rights guaranteed us in our Constitution is the freedom to assemble (to protest) the way government is working, it is up to the people, remember “We-the-People,” to educate themselves on the candidates for the various offices, to turn out at the polls, and VOTE their conscience – not necessarily the party line, nor the way the Union bosses coerce, not even the way votes today are bought & sold with coffee and a hot dog! The ballots are private and, if properly done, well-protected by responsible Americans

The US has, in fact, been involved in many wars. Below is a list of the predominant ones. Others may be found in which we participated, but these are generally considered the crucial ones. It is, however, by no means, a complete list!

• American Revolutionary War: September 1, 1774 – September 3, 1783
• War of 1812: June 18, 1812 – March 23, 1815
• Mexican–American War: April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848
• American Civil War: April 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865
• Boxer Rebellion: September 28, 1899 – August 15, 1900



• World War II: December 7, 1941 – September 2, 1945
• Cold War: 1947–1991
• Korean War: 1950–1953
• Vietnam War: 1953–1975
• Iran-Iraq War (Operation Prime Chance, Operation Nimble Archer, Operation Praying Mantis): 1987–1988
• Invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause): 20 December 1989 – 12 January 1990
• Gulf War: August 2, 1990 – February 28, 1991
• Iraqi no-fly zones: 1991–2003
• Somali Civil War (Operation Restore Hope): 1992–1994
• Bosnian War: 1993–1995
• Kosovo War: March 24 – June 10, 1999
• War on Terror (Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Freedom Eagle): October 7, 2001 – present
• Libyan Civil War: March 19, 2011 – October 23, 2011

Why Do We Honor “Veterans”?

When you see Old Glory waving in a breeze,
When you hear the silence amongst the trees,
When you,to sleep, you lay your head ,
Your dreams can be happy, not filled with dread.

When you gaze upon a starlit night
And are not filled with constant fright
Because across the sky a star is streaking
And not a missile or mortar shell is shreaking.

When in your streets car horns are blowing
Instead of fires from bombs are glowing
When the sound of sirens means help is near
Instead of “hide until all is clear!”

When a wreath is placed in Pearl Harbor
For those still entombed in the water.
When veterans cry remembering this
And all the friends, forever, they’ll miss.

When no one speaks while at “The Wall”
Where tears come freely to the small and tall.
Know that group of veterans wouldn’t quit,
Even though Americans upon them did spit.

When young ones ask about the flags
Placed gracefully over cemetary tags.
You tell them that veterans answered the call,
To keep us safe, one and all.

When a lump in your throat rises as “Taps” is played,
And a loved one, to rest, is laid.
This veteran’s sacrifice did ensure,
That America’s freedom would endure.

We honor our veterans because for their own reasons,
they chose to serve this country.
We honor them because without them,
this country wouldn’t be what it is today.
It may not be perfect,
but there isn’t a greater place on Earth to live.

Author: Ezra W. Sides
MMC(SW), USN(Retired)
11/09/05

History of Veterans’ Day

1918

World War I, then normally referred to simply as The Great War (no one could imagine any war being greater!), ended with the implementation of an armistice [temporary cessation of hostilities-in this case until the final peace treaty, the infamous Treaty of Versailles, was signed in 1919] between the Allies and Germany at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November, 1918.

1919

November 11: President Wilson proclaims the first Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.” The original concept for the celebration was for the suspension of business for a two minute period beginning at 11 A.M., with the day also marked by parades and public mettings.

1920

On the second anniversary of the armistice, France and the United Kingdom hold ceremonies honoring their unknown dead from the war. In America, at the suggestion of church groups, President Wilson names the Sunday nearest Armistice Day Sunday, on which should be held services in the interest of international peace.

1921

Congress passes legislation approving the establishment of a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. November 11 is chosen for the date of the ceremony. According on October 20, Congress declares November 11, 1921 a legal Federal holiday to honor all those who participated in the war. The ceremony was conducted with great success.

1926

Congress adopts a resolution directing the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the observance of Armistice Day. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, most states establish November 11 as a legal holiday and at the Federal level, an annual proclamation is issued by the President.

1938

Congress passes legislation on May 13 making November 11 a legal Federal holiday, Armistice Day. The United States has no ‘actual’ national holidays because the states retain the right to designate their own holidays. The Federal government can in fact only designate holidays for Federal employees and for the District of Columbia. But in practice the states almost always follow the Federal lead in designation of holidays.

1941- 1945 & 1950- 1953

World War II and the Korean War create millions of additional war veterans in addition to those of the First World War already honored by Armistice Day.

1954

On June 1, President Eisenhower signs legislation changing the name of the legal holiday from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day.

1968

Congress passes the Monday Holiday Law which established the fourth Monday in October as the new date for the observance of Veteran’s Day. The law is to take effect in 1971.

1971-1975

The Federal observance of Veterans Day is held on the fourth Monday of October. Initially all states follow suit except Mississippi and South Dakota. Other states changed their observances back to November 11 as follows: 1972- Louisiana and Wisconsin; 1974- Kentucky, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, South Carolina, West Virginia; 1975- California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming

1975

Legislation passed to return the Federal observance of Veteran’s Day to November 11, based on popular support throughout the nation. Since the change to the fourth Monday in October, 46 states had either continued to commemorate November 11 or had reverted back to the original date based on popular sentiment. The law was to take effect in 1978.

1978

Veteran’s Day observance reverts to November 11.

U.S. and troops gather in the courtyard of the Joint Operations Center for a tribute to Veterans Day on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Nov. 11, 2011. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ken Scar

A hearty THANKS to all who served,
and all who serve today! THANK YOU!