Baton Rouge

I am so sick and tired of hearing the name of the police murderer in Baton Rouge either preceded or followed by “former Marine”. He may have earned the title but he forfeited that the second he decided to become a worthless piece of crap.

He does not represent the Marines I know and love. Honor, Courage, Commitment…he knew none of those values.

The media will look for any angle to get him off the hook. They’ll hint at his time in service is a factor, before long someone will claim PTSD made him do the things he did; same thing with the Dallas murderer as a former soldier. Let’s get something straight here…these wastes of oxygen chose evil. It’s a plain and simple, albeit uncomfortable, truth. They made a decision. Their service didn’t make that decision. Their deployments didn’t. They did and knew what they were doing.

My life has been blessed immeasurably by the men and women I know and love who have served this country. Many of them continue to serve by putting on that badge and gun and willingly going out to fight evil on the streets of our cities. The heart of a warrior is the heart of a servant and I am forever grateful for every single one of them.

Orlando

I’m not going to sit by and say nothing.

I’m not going to sit by and listen to others blame terrorism on guns or sexual preference or skin color or gender or whatever happens to be the politically targeted cause of the day.

I’m not able to endure attacks on American citizens and watch our government and our media say it was because someone got a gun and if only they hadn’t everything would be fine.

Everything is not fine.

Everything is NOT fine.

Our citizens, AMERICAN citizens are being attacked by TERRORISTS and most people in charge of the country, the infamous “they” I suppose, have their heads so far up their political asses they refuse to accept this fact.

How does it feel to live in that America?

How does it feel to live in that America and know that your government won’t acknowledge that reality?

Well, it kind of sucks.

We know it.

The American people, at least most of the ones I know, recognize quickly this hideous act in Orlando for what it was.  TERRORISM.

We recognized Chattanooga as TERRORISM.

We recognized Ft. Hood was TERRORISM.

We recognized California was TERRORISM.

And hey, guess what?  We know Benghazi was TERRORISM.

Do you see something here?  A trend perhaps?

Let me give you a hint.

It’s NOT GOING AWAY.

We can ignore it.  We can call it workplace violence.  We can call it mental illness.  We can call it mass shootings.  We can call it whatever makes you feel better but it is not going away and we must face it and call it out for what it is.

We can’t stop it, we will never stop it, until we do that.

Does anyone remember this?

“This operation is not being planned with any alternatives. This operation is planned as a victory, and that’s the way it’s going to be. We’re going down there, and we’re throwing everything we have into it, and we’re going to make it a success.” — General Dwight D Eisenhower

Why are we not approaching these attacks on our citizens with the same attitude?  Why are we not throwing everything at the terror that we know and expecting success?  Why are we not looking for a way to be victorious?  Success would be a really good thing here.  Victory is not a bad word. 

You know what I think?

Arm yourself.

If you’re white, arm yourself.

If you’re black, arm yourself.

If you’re male, arm yourself.

If you’re female, arm yourself.

If you’re transgender, arm yourself.

If you’re gay, arm yourself.

If you’re straight, arm yourself.

Learn to protect yourself and in the process, protect your fellow American Citizens because that’s what we all are.  I don’t care what your gender is or isn’t, I don’t care what your race is, I don’t give a flying flip what your sexual orientation is.  The fact is that what we all are, first and foremost, Americans and we are all under attack.  If we take the step to learn to protect ourselves, we might one day be in the position to stop an attack like this and save lives.  We might be able to make a difference.

One thing is for sure.  We won’t stop an attack if we can’t defend ourselves.  We won’t save a friend, a neighbor, or even a stranger if we just sit back and wait for it to stop.  It’s not going to stop on its own.

Terrorist attacks are not going to stop if we’re nice enough.

They’re not going to stop if we’re all one skin color.

They’re not going to stop if we are all straight.

They’re not going to stop if we lay down our arms.

One-Minute Writer Prompt: Photograph

Describe a photo you have of yourself and what was happening when it was taken.

 

I’m standing against a fence at an airport.  Somewhere in Virginia in the mid 80’s.  I had to be 15 or 16 years old at the time and my dad and I had taken a trip to Virginia/DC area over spring break.  We spent part of the week with an old friend of my dad’s who happened to be a former F4 pilot in the Air Force in Vietnam.  My favorite fighter jet.  Hanging with a fighter jock.  I was in heaven.

He had a friend who was a flight instructor and he agreed to take me up in a plane.  He gave me the stick and let me fly for a few minutes.  It was exhilarating.

I love that picture because it was before everything went sideways.  I was still sure I was meant for great things.

I still thought I could do anything I set my mind to.

I still thought anything was possible.

Thank you for your service!

I recently ran across two articles, written by veterans, that addressed the issue of civilians thanking members of the military for their service. They offered different perspectives. The first, Thank You for Your Service: The Profession and the Public. This one dealt with service members being thanked for their service by civilians who may not be aware of the rules. They may not know about uniform regulations or what the items on your uniform (or lack of patches, etc.) may mean and how some service members take advantage of that lack of knowledge. Accepting thanks for things they did not do or even accepting gifts, from an unsuspecting public. The author calls out one such character who takes advantage of the generosity of an elderly woman in an airport. Yes, there are some not-so-honest folks in uniform and there are a lot that just don’t want to say no so they let the person thanking them go on and don’t correct them or refuse gifts. Some just don’t know what to do and want the experience over with. Some just want a free beer.

The other article, Please Don’t Thank Me For My Service  This one is a little more cynical. The author talks with great disdain of being thanked by the public for doing a job he signed up to do, one that the person thanking him wouldn’t do. He feels the thanks is empty and pointless, and serves to make the person doing the thanking feel better about themselves and not to actually thank him for the sacrifices of time, blood, sweat, tears, possibly friends and family, that he has endured. I’m not going to say he’s entirely wrong. It is his experience that shaped his views. I can’t possibly know what those are nor can I change them. I didn’t sign a contract.

In the interest of full disclosure, my husband is in the military. I don’t have a problem with people thanking him for service, but it makes him uncomfortable. Most of the folks I know that have served, or are currently serving, feel that way to some extent. My husband’s response is usually to thank them for their support. He is gracious and patient but would rather not be thanked by random citizenry. Even before I met my husband, I was thanking veterans for their service. Maybe it has to do with being heart-broken by the stories of Vietnam veterans returning and being treated so poorly. Long before it was popular to do so, I wanted them to know they weren’t forgotten. Maybe it’s because I hope someone would have thanked my great-uncle for his service, but he died “over there”, so I thank people who served with him and during those same conflicts because it feels a little like I’m thanking him, too. But, that’s not the whole reason I will keep thanking you.

The reason is that by doing what you do, what you did, or what you will do during your time in service in the future, I realize something. You are putting the safety and security of my children before your own safety. You may not know them, you may not even like them (I do, they’re kinda cool), but what it comes down to for me is that because you chose to do the job you do, my children have a greater likelihood of being safe from a particular kind of bad guy. I know you aren’t doing that for me. I know you aren’t specifically doing that for them. Maybe you have your own. Maybe you don’t. The reality is the by-product of your sacrifice of time, energy, blood, sweat, tears, is that my crew is safer back here.

I don’t thank you to make you uncomfortable, I don’t want you to feel that way. I don’t thank you because you’re doing a job I wouldn’t do (okay, some of the things y’all do I wouldn’t want to). Come on. Let’s be real. Look at me. I couldn’t do some of the things you do, even if I wanted to. I’m going to thank you for enduring never-ending mind-numbing power points and countless classes on things you’ve heard a hundred times or more. I’m going to thank you for all the hurry-up-and-wait you’ve had to do. I’m going to thank you for all of it; the good, the bad, the ugly, the boring, the high speed-low drag, the whole lot of it. I’d gladly pay for your lunch or buy you a beer, if that opportunity presented itself, but most of the time the best can offer you is my sincere and heartfelt thanks.

Thank You Veterans

We put out our flags, wish someone a happy day, and shop the sales…but do we take the time out of our day to think about what it means?

We are able to do these things like shop at the mall, worship where we please, say and do pretty much whatever suits us because that guy over there made a sacrifice of his time, blood, sweat, tears, friends to ensure that we could.

That elderly Walmart greeter fought for you.

There’s the lady that sits three rows up from you on Sunday morning. Did you know she cared for the wounded so many years ago?

The guy in the next cubicle over, he cared for the fallen.

Just a few years ago that college kid was clearing houses in the desert for you.

They put the safety of your children, grandchildren, family before their own.

You can bet Veteran’s day has a different meaning to them. You can most certainly bet they would say they were just doing their part, just doing their job. They might feel awkward when you thank them and they might not know what to say. Sometimes it makes them uncomfortable. That’s okay (don’t take it personally).

They might ask you to remember their buddies who didn’t come home. We should remember them.

It’s equally important to never forget the ones that did come home.

9/11

The September 11th Anniversary

Tomorrow. We all know what tomorrow is. For most of us we never have to be reminded because we have truly never forgotten. We know we never will.
This is our attack on Pearl Harbor. It is our assassination of JFK. How I wish we never had something to call our own like this but reality is we do and we must always remember.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I’m pretty big into remembering the people who make an impact militarily for our country. Tonight I am thinking about those innocent families thrust into the plan of terror. I’m thinking about those who willingly went in as they helped guide and encourage others to escape. Two in particular come to mind. Rick Rescorla and Father Mychal Judge.

Rick Rescorla. A Vietnam veteran who survived the battle of Ia Drang. If you’ve read We Were Soldiers Once…And Young (the book upon which We Were Soldiers is based), you will see him on the cover. On September 11, 2001 he was the Vice President of security for Morgan Stanley Dean Whitter. They were the largest tenants in the World Trade Center. His forethought and planning saved thousands of lives that day. He died trying to make sure everyone under his charge got out. He reassured them, he led them down dark stairwells, he sang into his bullhorn.

He told them today was a day to be a proud American.

The other is Father Mychal Judge. Father Mychal Judge was the chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. He died inside the lobby of the World Trade Center. He had followed the firefighters into the north tower. As his was the first body recovered, he is listed as victim 0001.

He often prayed
Lord, take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who you want me to meet;
Tell me what you want me to say
And keep me out of your way.

9/11 is more than just what happened in those towers, those planes, and those buildings in 2001. It is every pair of boots in the sand, every man, woman, and family that has bled and sacrificed for this country in the years since. It is also the anniversary of terrorist attacks that shed more of our country’s blood. The blood of men who went where they were needed even when our own country wouldn’t send help. I know tomorrow is now called Patriots Day. In the morning, I’ll be doing the same thing I was doing all those years ago, I’ll be teaching a class full of preschoolers.

As Rick Rescorla sang into his bullhorn on that day, I will be thinking about our own “Men of Cornwall”

Men of Cornwall stop your dreaming;
Can’t you see their spearpoints gleaming?
See their warriors’ pennants streaming
To this battlefield.
Men of Cornwall stand ye steady;
It cannot be ever said ye
for the battle were not ready;
Stand and never yield!

I Think I Want To Be A Writer…Now What? And Other Writerly Questions.

I Think I Want To Be A Writer…Now What? And Other Writerly Questions..

via I Think I Want To Be A Writer…Now What? And Other Writerly Questions..

 

I enjoyed this post and thought I’d share.  This is what I want to be when I grow up.

Bergdahl

May be more than you wanted but here is my take on the Bergdahl thing…so far.

 
I am trying to put all emotion aside, which is very difficult to do as the POW/MIA issue has always been one very near and dear to my heart.
First, he was not a prisoner of war. He was never officially listed as such by the military. He was also not missing in action. He was listed DUSTWUN, which is duty status, whereabouts unknown. The fact that they never formally changed his status to POW says to me that they knew he was likely a deserter. Reports indicate he willingly left the outpost in search of some faction of the Taliban to join, eventually the military likely knew his general whereabouts if not exactly who was holding him and where he was. They deemed it not worth the risk to special operations to retrieve him. As much as I personally think he should have been left there to rot, we don’t do that if we can help it. In a traditional war, his release would have been part of a treaty, an agreement at the end of conflict. We are not in a traditional war, as well you know, and likely will never be again.

 
The fact that six men died after soldiers and resources were diverted to search for him is heart-breaking. More than that, really, but those men were looking for a brother. Whether they knew he was a deserter or not is irrelevant to the initial mission. He was missing, they were tasked to find him, they would have done that for any brother no matter the circumstance. It doesn’t lessen the impact of their loss to their families, friends, and brothers-in-arms; it also doesn’t tarnish their honor. They were doing the right thing.

 
Rumor has it that Bergdahl defected while in Taliban custody. Was it survival? Did he get there and realize this wasn’t at all what he thought (which, it appears, is a pattern for him)? Does Stockholm come into play? Was that really his plan all along? What information did he share that put our troops in harm’s way? Was he responsible for more attacks? He should be held accountable for all of it. Court-martialed and punished to the fullest extent.

 
What really gets me, even more than the initial act of desertion, has been the administration’s handling of the whole affair. It has been despicable from the beginning, nothing but lies and deception. There are so many layers to the lies and deceit. We don’t negotiate with terrorist for the release of Americans. We Don’t Do That. At least we didn’t. We shouldn’t. As the wife of an American service member, I know that should something happen to my husband while deployed and he ended up in the hands of the enemy, our country would not go into negotiations to free him. I would expect an attempt at rescue, and I would expect it to succeed, but I would not expect terrorists to be freed on his behalf. As an honorable man and soldier (former Marine), he wouldn’t expect it, either. That is part of being in the service. It is part of being a military family (an uncommon part, thankfully). That we just threw that policy completely out the window and released not one but FIVE terrorists to return to the fight as too much to wrap my brain around.Add to that, the claim that we had to do this now because he was sick (he wasn’t), his life was at risk (not really anymore than it had been in the last five years), congress wasn’t informed…it’s just too much.

The icing, the president won’t even own his treason. He is throwing SecDef under the bus (not that I think he is a fine upstanding example of man, either) but at least own your freaking decisions. Oh, and let’s throw in the Bergdahl parents. Including them in top secret video conferences? What the heck is that? Inviting them to the Rose Garden for a victory lap? Um, about the families of those who died – screw them, I guess. The beard. The tweets. The fact that dad opened his statements in Pashto. Really? Was that appropriate? No. But, I suspect, the Bergdahl’s are not really about unity or peace or understanding or kumbayah. They are about themselves. They are about following their “bliss”, going their own way, everyone else be damned. “Obey your conscience” his father told him. The only problem with that is that his parents never taught him honor, integrity, responsibility.

Well, so much for emotions aside.

 

 

Movies

Recently, a friend asked for movie recommendations that were good representations of the military. It’s so hard to find that in Hollywood anymore. At least in the vintage movies the troops were mostly depicted in a positive light. Today most depictions feed the stereotype of the unstable individual incapable of a civilian existence. Heck, according to Tom Cruise all you have to do to have combat experience is spend awhile on location filming a movie and Val Kilmer can play a combat vet better than someone who has actually been there because, well, he’s an actor. We could ship them over and see how they do but I wouldn’t wish that on the guys over there.
So, my friend wanted to know what movies did I like. Now, I love war movies. I have since I was a little girl. I grew up on war movies and fighter jock music (my dad’s best friend flew F-4s in Vietnam and had given him a Dick Jonas album. It was my favorite. I still have the vinyl. Super geeky, I know). Anyway, back to the big screen.
Here are a few of my favorites (including a few that are kid friendly):
1) Since You Went Away (1944) – One of my favorite movies to show the home front during World War 2. Following a mid-western family as the mom (Claudette Colbert) holds down the fort, takes in a lodger, raises two teenage girls and navigates the trials and tribulations of the home while her husband was overseas.

2) We Were Soldiers (2002) – Hal and Julia Moore are heroes of mine. I love how the movie brings to life the heart break of losing a husband during the war in Vietnam, and the role Julia Moore took upon herself so that other wives would no longer be notified of a death by a Western Union telegram left on the doorstep alone. She didn’t do it exactly as it was depicted in the movie but would follow behind and be there for them, the grief so fresh, while her own husband was fighting the same battle. I love CSM Basil Plumley, too. Available on Netflix.

3) Taking Chance – shows very briefly the role of PRP in the beginning. Near and dear to my heart as that is what my husband did during his time in the Marine Corps Reserves. The movie follows LTC Strobl and he escorts the remains of PFC Chance Phelps. You can read LTC Strobl’s account here http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-050123strobl,0,6934286.story

4) The Green Berets – the first war movie I feel in love with as a kid. It’s John Wayne. I could probably do a whole piece on John Wayne war movies but this was a personal favorite. No comment on any possible inaccuracies.

5) Molly On The Homefront– Yes, It’s an American Girls movie but I list it because it resonated with my daughters when their daddy was deployed. They could relate to Molly missing her father.

6) Act of Valor (2012) – A little SEAL love here, including a powerful depiction of what it’s like for the wives and families back home. Plus, since I listed my daughters’ favorite it’s only fair that I list my son’s.

I also enjoy documentaries so I’ve listed a few here, too.
7) Restrepo (2010) – “RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, “Restrepo,” named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you.”

8) The Way We Get By – not exactly a war movie but a moving documentary about the Maine Troop Greeters. These selfless men and women have seen my husband off to war and I am grateful for their warmth and compassion.

9) Chosin – Korea, the forgotten war. Unbelievable what these men endured.
“In the winter of 1950, at the height of America’s ‘forgotten war,’ 15,000 U.S. Soldiers and Marines found themselves surrounded and by an overwhelming force of communist Chinese soldiers in the frozen mountains of North Korea. After 60 years of silence, the men who survived finally tell their story.”

Memorial Day

This was my Memorial Day post I submitted to SOFREP a while back. Just thought I’d share it here.

I used to work in a city that lined their main roads through town with huge white crosses and American flags.

On each cross was the name of a hero.

They would begin setting these up about a week prior to Memorial Day. In nearly ten years I worked in that city I tried to read all the names. Through the years they became familiar. I would imagine what they would say to us if they had the chance. Please just remember, they beg. If at no other time of the year, remember me today.

Do you remember what I gave?

Do you even remember who I was?

I was the kid next door. I was your friend. I sat behind you in calculus. I was the one that lifeguarded with you at the pool that summer. I was the one too young to sign the contract. So, instead of knowing that I lied about my age, my mother let me. I was the one who didn’t want to, but I did it anyway because I knew someone else would just have to take my place. I don’t ask for much. Just think of me. Remember how I laughed, what made me angry. What was my favorite song? Do you remember that movie I always quoted? How I liked my steak? That I put potato chips on my burger? Remember my favorite book with the dog-eared pages. Or the graphic novel that inspired me to draw? Remember my favorite jeans with the worn out pocket and perfectly broken in, and that holey concert shirt. Remember me in uniform. Remember that look, my smile. Remember that I had the will to fight. I imagine they would say when you do the things I loved to do, think of me. If you remember me in the little things I will always be with you.

Someone forwarded an email to me today that said the children in the Czech Republic are assigned the grave of an American or Canadian liberator. They are responsible for the care and upkeep, as well as learning as much as they can about the hero they’re assigned. I’d like to see more children in America take on that responsibility.

Of course, some of our kids are intimately familiar with that lesson already, having lost a family member or dear friend. I would much rather they learned about, and honored, a fallen hero. Not to take away from a child’s fascination with the latest pop culture sensation or sports figure. Just to give them a different perspective as they go through life.

In 1918, Moina Michael penned a response to the John McCrae poem “In Flander’s Fields”. Her reply is call “We Shall Keep The Faith”.

“Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields, Sleep sweet – to rise anew!

We caught the torch you threw And holding high, we keep the Faith With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led;

It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies,

But lends a luster to the red Of the flower that blooms above the dead In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red We wear in honor of our dead.

Fear not that ye have died for naught; We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought In Flanders Fields.”

The value in remembering what Memorial Day is really about is too great and too important to be dwindled down to 20% off and a cook out. Do those things. Enjoy and relax. But always, remember.