Veteran's Day Message
With Veteran's Day on our doorstep, it's time to send out our salute to our nation's Veterans, as we have done in the past.
Many of you commented on the link to the video attached last Veteran's Day (A Pittance of Time) and asked if we would resend it. This year we have decided to include a couple links for you to check out when you get a few free moments. They are all at the end of this newsletter. The videos are thought-provoking and will grasp at your heart-strings, no matter how what your personal opinion is regarding our current global situation. There are also a couple troop support web site links that readers sent in for this email newsletter.
Most Americans crawl into bed at night any never give our national security a thought. There is no tossing and turning; battles are fought far from home. But just remember this: Somebody has to be awake 24 hours a day, seven days a week with their finger on the switch. Somebody had to give up their personal life and accept that role. Somebody has to kiss their loved ones goodbye with a promise to return in a couple years and begin where they left off, not knowing the last chapter of that story might be written in blood. Somebody has - and will - continue to make that sacrifice.
When I was an Army recruiter I heard it again and again, "I'm not the Army type."
I would usually follow up with, "Just what is the Army type?"
Is it your grandfather that gave up the family farm to go keep the wolf away from the front door? Is it your uncle that didn't run to a foreign country when his lottery number was called, even though he was against the conflict? Or is it like my two sisters and a brother that decided to serve for personal reasons?
Let's be clear on one thing: There is no such thing as the 'military type.'
Millions of Americans have defended this country and none of them were 'the military type.' They came from all walks of life with different backgrounds, religions, skin colors, and beliefs, but they all hit the pause button on their lives to do something that had to be done. And whether it was popular or not, they did it because somebody, somewhere, sometime long ago planted a seed of patriotism and a sense of duty that grew into something that couldn't be denied.
You can get upset over our foreign policies, but you can't stop your support for the American Soldier. Good or bad, popular or not, he or she will be there doing what needs to be done and not asking for anything in return except not to be forgotten.
This Veteran's Day I challenge all Americans to put the political fervor aside and remember that the best we have to offer as a society is serving around the globe, in the skies, under the oceans, in fox holes and bunkers, and the very least we can do is to not forget about them. Every single day there are 2,000 WWII veterans called up to stand their final guard duty at heaven's gates. Like the generations before and those that will follow after them, they take along their memories of war and peace, of fear, of death and destruction, buried in deep recesses of their minds and broken bodies. Those are burdens nobody wants to carry through life, but our military men and women of today accept it as a part of their personal responsibility. Some will never be the same, and yet when we see the homeless vet in the wheelchair we're oh-so-quick to criticize or look away without stopping even for a second to wonder what personal nightmare he or she is carrying or reliving long after their war is over. For some, it only ends when they breathe their final breath.
All I can say is, freedom isn't free, and it shouldn't ever be taken for granted. There's a helluva price to pay for it and somebody's gotta ante up.
To the parents that have sons and daughters serving: You may never totally understand why he or she left home to join the military, but this country does and thanks every one of you for supporting their decision to do so.
To you military recruiters: it's not a popular job and getting the phone slammed down and the door closed in your face again and again is a battle you face daily, but somebody has got to find the best America has to offer. Keep up the positive attitude because America needs you.
To those family members that sit down to dinner or sit around a TV at night...take a look at that member of your family that served. Look behind the eyes and you'll see something amazing. Tonight, throw your arms around their neck, give them a big hug and tell them "Thank You" from America. I will guarantee you that you'll see a side of them that you've never seen.
Many thanks to those of you that have included items for admission into this newsletter; you know who you are! And after a short poem, you'll find those excellent links to some great web sites and videos.
To those serving around the world: you're in our thoughts and prayers and we will never, ever forget you!
To my fellow vets..."Continue the Mission...Airborne!"
To JSD at gravesite 356C, Ft Bragg Cemetery...I will always remember.
Buck
Manatees Newsletter Reader's Submission:
TOMMY by Rudyard Kipling
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!
Two must-see videos send in by readers:
This film 'Remember Me' was made by Lizzie Palmer, a 15 year old girl, and it is now one of the hottest videos running on You Tube. You need to look closely at the slides in her video because they'll burn into your memory and you certainly won't easily dismiss them:
http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1
For those that asked for it, last year's video, Terry Kelly's 'A Pittance of Time,' can be found by clicking on the link. Make sure you read the short story about how the song came about
:
Terry Kelly -* A Pittance of Time
Troop Support links sent by some of you:
If you want to send a Thank You Card to the troops, here's a site that will allow you to select a card and send it out across the globe to our forces. You can choose from a pre-selected message or type your own. This is a free service and takes less than a minute to send a card. Please take a minute to visit:
Let's Say Thanks
During the season the Manatees support fundraising efforts by 'Homes for our Troops,' a non-partisan, non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides specially adapted homes for our severely wounded service members of our military. Through their growing network of donations from building contractors, suppliers, corporate supporters and local volunteers, HFOT is able to provide assistance at no cost to the veterans that they serve. You can check out their web site at
Homes For Our Troops: Specially Adapted Homes for Wounded Soldiers
Visit
This is for the Soldiers – Drowning Pool and IAVA Video and Petition and sign the petition to force congress to get the psychological help available for the returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly one in three will come back with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and they deserve timely treatment to be able to get on with their lives.
Today's best Bumper Sticker:
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: Jesus Christ & the American G. I. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
On that note we'll close with a big "Amen" and a "Never Forget."
news 11/9
Florida State League
