Veterans Blog

A Few Quotes for this 4th of July

As our Nation’s Birthday approaches it seems only fitting to remember what freedom really means, and direct it at those that have never experienced a day without freedom.  The following few quotes were compiled by The Quote Garden. Happy Fourth of July!

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.  ~Author unknown, sometimes attributed to M. Grundler

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.  ~Thomas Paine

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.  ~Elmer Davis

The American Revolution was a beginning, not a consummation.  ~Woodrow Wilson

Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.  ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

Let freedom never perish in your hands.  ~Joseph Addison

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.  ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.  ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

This, then, is the state of the union:  free and restless, growing and full of hope.  So it was in the beginning.  So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith.  ~Lyndon B. Johnson

Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.  ~Louis D. Brandeis

Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.  ~Albert Camus

America is much more than a geographical fact.  It is a political and moral fact - the first community in which men set out in principle to institutionalize freedom, responsible government, and human equality.  ~Adlai Stevenson

We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls.  ~Robert J. McCracken

If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace.  ~Hamilton Fish

Where liberty dwells, there is my country.  ~Benjamin Franklin

Liberty means responsibility.  That is why most men dread it.  ~George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, "Maxims: Liberty and Equality," 1905

The United States is the only country with a known birthday.  ~James G. Blaine

We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.  ~William Faulkner

My God!  How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!  ~Thomas Jefferson

What is the essence of America?  Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom "to" and freedom "from."  ~Marilyn vos Savant, in Parade

We need an America with the wisdom of experience.  But we must not let America grow old in spirit.  ~Hubert H. Humphrey

It is sweet to serve one's country by deeds, and it is not absurd to serve her by words.  ~Sallust

My patriotic heart beats red, white, and blue.  ~Author Unknown

There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.  ~William J. Clinton
Freedom is never free.  ~Author Unknown

Happy 4^th and to all of our soldiers currently serving at home and around the world, and to our approximately 24 million veterans…Thank you for your service!

Please support the ASMBA STAR Foundation and view how we are making a difference in the lives of our service members, veterans, wounded warriors, and their families by visiting us at www.asmbastarfoundation.com.

 

 

Homegrown Jihad: Wake Up America!

Homegrown Jihadist:  Terrorists Training Camps?  That’s right...you got it!  It has been documented that there are 35 Islamic terrorist training compounds in various parts of the United States. A film produced by PRB films, in association with The Christian Action Network shows that under the leadership of radical Pakistani cleric Sheikh Mubarak Gilani, this group, Muslims of America, has trained thousands of men for homegrown jihad, while remaining virtually unknown.

The film also includes clips from a "secret" training tape in which American Muslims are recruited into what is considered one of the most advanced courses in Islamic military warfare. These "Soldiers of Allah" are trained in explosives, kidnapping, murder, firing weapons and guerilla warfare. Wake Up America!

Naïve officials describe the film to CBS News as "sensationalistic" and without any real foundation. According to one official, it is strictly designed to upset and inflame people and does not present a true picture of any so-called “homegrown Jihad” danger. No current intelligence exists to suggest any threat connected with this group, which officials describe as “wannabes” and not terrorists. Wake Up America!

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are aware of the movie and have no plans at this time to issue any new alerts or bulletins. Wake Up America! The following film clip was shown on Fox’s Hannity during an interview with Martin Mawyer of the Christian Action Network. You decide if we have a problem here!  Burying our heads in the sand will not change the potential danger this group presents. 

We need to remain vigilant and keep standing our ground next time some group talks about trampling our Second Amendment rights.  What continues to amaze me even more is the dwindling memory of 9/11 in the consciousness of most Americans.

I might be overly cautious being a retired military man, but ask your self these questions: Do the individuals in the film clips you just viewed have a day job?  I doubt it!  Next, who is bankrolling these camps? Guess!  And of course…what purpose do these camps serve other than the obvious?  They’re certainly not selling cookies or helping little old ladies cross the street! 

Wake Up America!

Hey! Wake-up, You Almost Missed Flag Day!

Did you know that Flag Day is June 14th?  I was so looking forward to my Father's Day ritual of walking our dogs bright and early this Sunday that I honestly forgot!  Fortunately, a co-worker reminded me of that fact.  I guess I'm not surprised though.  Listening to the radio driving to work, I didn't hear much about any special sales planned for Flag Day.  The talk centered around Father's Day!  Hmmm!  I guess Flag Day didn't make the short list at the different ad agencies this go around.  Actually, come to think of it, has it ever made the short list?  Let's face it, you only get noticed for marketing the American Flag these days if you're running for public office and pandering for votes while proudly displaying your "lapel pin!"  Oops...I did it again!  Slap me for bringing up that flag pin thing again.  Seriously, the American Flag is the most recognized symbols of freedom in the world today.  Men and women have died defending our right to fly it or burn it.  It’s hard to believe that someone would actually burn our flag!

How many of you still remember what the flag represents?  I'm asking in case you run across an illegal and he or she seems confused with our customs.  Well, there are 50 stars which represent the 50 states that make up our United States and there are 13 stripes representing the 13 original colonies.  So if you have an American Flag, please fly it!  If you don’t have one, consider buying one, or just maybe, someone will just give you a lapel pin. Or, how about this?  Tell your kids, if you have them, you'd like a flag for Father's Day!  God bless our flag and God bless the United States of America!

Battle Hymn of the Republic

A friend just sent me this link to not just a song, but to a way of life many politicians and political pundits refuse to embrace or acknowledge in society today.  Often it takes an outsider visiting our country to remind all of us just how fortunate we are as Americans to be living in a country of boundless opportunity.  A place where we have the right to worship, vote, and lead peaceful lives without fear of reprisal or condemnation.  This rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic was performed for Pope Benedict XVI at the White House Rose Garden in a ceremony on April 15th of this year.  It sent shivers up my spine!   Please pass this along!

The Flag of the United States of America

The following was retrieved from the Northwest Florida Veterans News and Information Service and was submitted by Bob Thompson, Retired Military Veteran, Panama City, Florida. I think you’ll like A Tribute to our Flag.

Also, just in case you don’t recognize the singer, it’s Elvis singing "America The Beautiful" on this tribute, so have your speakers on.

If this doesn't give you chills, you should pack up and move on to another country.  Thanks Bob!  God Bless America!

What Do You Know About Veterans Day?

The following is courtesy of Military.com. Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. However, most Americans confuse this holiday with Memorial Day, reports the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What's more, some Americans don't know why we commemorate our Veterans on Nov.11. It's imperative that all Americans know the history of Veterans Day so that we can honor our former service members properly.

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislature that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

So what is the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day? Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military either in wartime or peacetime.  Please consider the following thoughts...What is a Veteran? 

Finally, remember to take time for a moment of silence this Sunday to reflect on the many sacrifices offered by our men and women in uniform and don’t forget to display our flag proudly!

Veterans of all ages teach us that freedom is not cheap!

The following account is true and was drawn from former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee's 2 March 2007 address to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC.  It recounts events from the first day of classes in the fall of 2005 for students enrolled in Martha Cothren's military history class.

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at  in Robinson High School Little Rock did something not to be forgotten.

On the first day of school, with the permission of the school Superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no “desks.” Looking around, confused, they asked, "Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?" She replied, "You can't have a desk until you tell me what you have done to earn the right to sit at a desk." They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades." "No," she said. "Maybe it's our behavior." She told them, "No, it's not even your behavior." And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Hmmm…still no desks in the classroom.

By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren’s Classroom to report about this crazy teacher (yeah...right) who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the "deskless" classroom, Martha Cothren said, "Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you."

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they walked over and stood alongside the walls.

By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned. Then Martha said,  "You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education.  Don't ever forget it."

Epilogue: 

In May 2005, she and her class organized a Vietnam Veterans Recognition Week, including an official "Thank You Ceremony" held in the Robinson High School auditorium. Veterans from World War II and the Korean War also attended, as did people from all walks of life, to honor those who had served. During that week, students videotaped veterans as they recounted their war memories, thus preserving their stories for later generations. In addition, Cothren and her students have sent numerous care packages to U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2006 the Veterans of Foreign Wars named Martha Cothren their  "Teacher Of the Year."   

"Thank You" Martha, and to all your students at Robinson High School...God Bless you and God Bless America!

What you should know about our "National Anthem"

Unless you know all four stanzas of the Star Spangled Banner you may find this most interesting.  Perhaps most of you didn't realize what Francis Scott Key's profession was or what he was doing on a ship.  This will be a good brush-up on your history.

Toward the end of his life, the great science fiction author Isaac Asimov wrote a short story about all four stanzas of the National Anthem. However brief, this well-circulated piece is an eye opener and worth reading!

So next time you take in a ball game or you just happen to be at a military function in the future...you'll know a little bit more about the "Star Spangled Banner."

Oh! say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

("Ramparts," in case you don't know, are the protective walls or other elevations that surround a fort.) The first stanza asks a question. The second gives an answer:

On the shore, dimly seen thro' the mist of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep.
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream
'Tis the star-spangled banner. Oh! long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

"The towering steep" is again, the ramparts. The bombardment has failed, and the British can do nothing more but sail away, their mission a failure. In the third stanza I feel Key allows himself to gloat over the American triumph. In the aftermath of the bombardment, Key probably was in no mood to act otherwise?  During World War I when the British were our Staunchest allies, this third stanza was not sung.  However, I know it, so here it is:

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

(The fourth stanza, a pious hope for the future, should be sung more slowly than the other three and with even deeper feeling):

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation,
Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven - rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause is just,
And this be our motto --"In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Interesting isn’t it, that as Francis Scott Key looks to the future he mentions:

“...Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause is just,
And this be our motto -- In God is our trust."

Red Skelton's "Pledge of Allegiance"

A good friend just forwarded me this recital of the "Pledge of Allegiance" read by  Red Skelton back in 1969.  It made me think of a past post to the Veterans’ Blog Memorial Day Memories...What Happened?  In that previous post, I inserted a story told by Senator John McCain about another former Vietnam POW named Mike Christian.  Mike enlisted in the US Navy and later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. According to Senator McCain, Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. In the story his dedication and faith brings a tear every time I read it!

After reading this post and listening to Red Skelton's recital of the "Pledge of Allegiance" please pay particular attention to Red's final remarks.   Most of us remember Red as a comedian, but he was a lot more!  He was an American and proud of it!

Immigrant soldiers deserve a fast track to citizenship

I suppose you've heard about the new immigration bill.  The Washington Post framed it:  "A bipartisan bill could mean a lasting fix for a broken system – if Congress works out the kinks." Yesterday the Senate passed a bill that would allow millions of illegal immigrants already here to put themselves on the right side of the law and on a path toward eventual permanent residence. The Post goes on to say: "But like most rough drafts, this one needs work. It's critical that in addressing one set of immigration problems, the legislation doesn't create a new set." No kidding! 

Look, I'm not an expert on this issue.  I have empathy for those individuals who seek a better life for themselves and their families.  They are not unlike ourselves.  The rub comes in when the whole process of "fast tracking" these individuals toward eventual citizenship ironically encourages more illegal immigrants to enter this country.  Remember when similar legislation was passed years back?

However, should some individuals be "fast tracked" to citizenship?  If so, then who?  The proposed legislation suggests that immigrants serving in the military and whose paperwork is being processed for citizenship (that means they're documented) should be placed on the "fast track" to citizenship.  This sounds fair in my book and here's why: 

A few years ago just after the "War on Terror" officially began, a case surfaced (with the help of talk radio) in which an immigrant serving in our Armed Forces was injured in Afghanistan.  He was hospitalized back in the U.S. when his visa was set to expire. That triggered a string of bureaucratic "nitwits" to start the deportation process.  The overwhelming response from people listening to this report on the radio was that this brave soldier should not only be allowed to stay in this country, but that he should be granted immediate citizenship.  Why?  Because he was willing to "...defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic..."    By all accounts, his comrades in arms supported the "fast track" process to citizenship and stated he was a good soldier.  Unfortunately, others have been granted citizenship after they were killed in combat!  Read on...

A New York Times article from September 2005 sums up my point. James McKinley chronicles what many Americans might not be aware of as they consider the merits of the new proposed immigration legislation before Congress.  Here's a snippet:

...The flag is folded neatly in a triangle, encased in wood and glass. A couple of medals lie in boxes. A stern young man in his United States Army dress uniform peers out from a small photograph. His dog tags hang beside the photo. These are the relics of a life cut short in the name of honor, liberty, and country.  What seems odd is that the mementos are not in a living room in New Jersey or Nebraska, but in a house with concrete floors in a dusty town in central Mexico. And the soldier, Private First Class Jesus Fonseca, 19, was not an American citizen, but one of at least 25 Mexican citizens who have died fighting for the U.S. in two years of war...

For some, citizenship is less important than economic opportunity. Sergio Diaz Sr. says his son, Specialist Sergio Diaz Varela, 21, had few prospects when he graduated from Narbonne High School in Lomita, Calif. There weren't many other options, so he enlisted...someday he hoped to have a well-paid job in the States, as a full-fledged citizen...he wanted to buy his mother a house in Mexico. That dream ended when a roadside bomb in Ramadi killed him.  In December, he was buried in Mexico, outside Guadalajara. At first, his mother did not want the American flag draped over the coffin, but she relented under pressure from relatives.

The article highlights the fact that at the time it was written about 3,485 permanent resident aliens from Mexico were in the U.S. armed forces.  The Mexicans are the largest group among the 79 immigrants who have been killed in Iraq according to Pentagon sources. 

An article that appeared in the Dallas Morning News in November 2006 updates the above figures to reflect an increasing amount of immigrants that come from not only Mexico; but Nigeria, Afghanistan, Colombia, Cambodia and a hundred other countries across the globe to find the promise of America. Increasingly they enlist to fight, and sometimes die, in America's wars.

About 69,300 foreign-born men and women serve in the U.S. armed forces, roughly 5 percent of the total active-duty force, according to the most recent data. Of those, 43 percent – 29,800 – are not U.S. citizens. The Pentagon says more than 100 immigrant soldiers have died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Well? What do you think about "fast tracking" immigrant soldiers to citizenship?  Sound off!