We Support the Troops, Unless....
We Support the Troops,
Unless...
...Your Name is Danny Dietz
and Your Hometown Wants
to Honor You.
Sculptor, Robert Henderson, working on the Danny Dietz sculpture.
To see more of Robert's amazing work, go HERE.
Petty Officer Danny Dietz, Navy Seal, native of Littleton, Colorado, was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. He received the Navy Cross for his "extraordinary heroism in actions against the enemy..." You can read the full citation and his story HERE and HERE.
The city of Littleton is erecting a memorial statue of Dietz in Berry Park. A group of parents is now opposing the statue because Dietz is holding a rifle. They feel it glorifies violence and should not be near children.
Fortunately, the city of Littleton is standing firm and going ahead with the project. You can read the full story HERE.
Thank you, Littleton, Colorado, for doing the right thing in honoring this hero.
We Support the Troops,
Unless...
...Your Name is
LCpl Randy Newman
LCpl Randy Newman, Marine, native of Bend, Oregon was killed in Iraq on August 20, 2006. You can read about Randy HERE and HERE. The city of Bend is bisected by the Deschutes River. A main bridge across the river was recently torn down and replaced. The community wished to name the bridge 'The Randy Newman Bridge.' However, the City Council has refused to do so. Over 100 supporters attended the second meeting on the issue this week and signed up to speak, but the Mayor cut the speakers off and denied the request. They have decided to call it the Veteran's Bridge and the Randy Newman walkway along the side. Randy's family was devastated by the abrupt unwillingness to honor their son... as am I.
Randy died with his friend, Adam Galvez. His hometown, Salt Lake City, has name a street after Adam.
So, communities say they support the troops, they just have trouble honoring them.
16 comments:
absolutely disgusting. A while back, I wrote a post about a black soldier that was finally awarded the MOH for his actions in WW2 in after D-day. his name is Ruben Rivers. he is from Tecumseh, OK. I think that we need to name a road or highway in OK after him. I am about to start a letter writing campaign.
http://clutteredeclecticmind.blogspot.com/2007/02/761st-tank-battalion.html
Sends me over the edge, I was walking a fine line this week anyway! Thanks for posting.
Ron -
Please start!
Does your state have a petition system? If so, I bet a LOT of National Guard would help you gather signatures...
What can we do to help?
Love my Tanker -
Me, too, and a reporter in Colorado contacted me with the Danny Dietz story... I just about blew through the roof last night - then, the Randy Newman story.
I grew up with canons, tanks and military aircraft prominently displayed in the town squares of towns in Ohio. That tradition of recognizing our military goes back through our history.
What's happened to the culture that we have to LIE to our children about the struggle and sacrifice our freedoms require?
Are we going to remove the statue of Col. William Prescott at the Bunker Hill monument near Boston because the statue honoring him shows him carrying a sword?
http://www.panoramamagazine.com/panoramamagazine/sightseeing/freedom_trail/images/bunker_hill_monument.jpg
Can anyone explain how multiculturalism and a respect for diversity and tolerance means we MUST be intolerant of the means necessary to preserve the freedom to believe such hoo hah?
Happy Easter Flag Gazer! I hope I'm allowed to say that!
Mike - You bet you are - here anyway!!
Wishing you God's Blessings at Easter and always.
This is outrageous! I am just lost anymore. I do not know where people come off with their freaking ideas on violence. How do they think they live as Americans? Rock, Scissors, Paper??
I am growing so weary of their voices. I really am. I don't listen to any news... no tv. I quit over a year ago. If the headlines interest me on FOX, I read them. I hate their noise. That's all it is--noise.
If they only understood how little control they have over that child's physical life. That child should not only understand what the replica is, but at this stage, better damn well learn to use one.
Sorry...
De'on - don't apologize... you are RIGHT about this.
You would have been shedding a tear with Randy's mom when they callously dismissed her.
Fox News picked up on the Dietz story.
another sad day in America gazer, some way it has to happen, it had nothing to do with the horror that happened there.
The Leftists "support" the troop only inasmuch as the troops can "support" their agenda.
The troops are but a means to their twisted end.
In reality, they'd just as soon flip one off as salute one.
Here is the responce I received from the mayor of Bend, OR in response to my e-mail about LCpl Newman.
"I do not understand your email. You refer to my having "silenced those who spoke for LCPL Newman" when in fact I/we let every person who signed up to speak to the Council do so. This was not the first, but was in fact the second time that supporters had an opportunity to fully address the Council. You have every right to make a request of the Council. In our elected capacity, we are the decision-makers in this particular instance. It is not that we didn't listen to you and your colleagues, it is that we didn't agree with what you were asking for.
I am truly sorry that we were not able to give you, the Newman family, and other supporters what you were asking for to help you move on in the grieving process. But, it is unfortunate that you and others have chosen the renaming of a public bridge as the only thing that is acceptable as a way of honoring Randy. That is simply not the case.
Bruce Abernethy"
SSG ~
As I was not at the meeting, I can only report what the newspaper stated, which was that they interupted those who had signed up to speak and said they would not change their minds.
But, his statement to give people what they needed "to move on in the grieving process" shows that he doesn't have a clue that we should truly honor the heroes amongst us.
Notice, he says it is not the only way to honor Randy, but certainly does not offer an alternative or a way to do that.
SSG - Thank you for taking the time to get involved....
flag gazer -
People like Mayor Abernathy will never understand that we in the military don't fit into the template that he wants to put us into. We are neither victims or bloodthirsty monsters but rather professionals who do a job that we are asked to do by our country. I stated in my correspondence with the mayor that I plan on never setting foot or spending one dime in Bend and would urge others to do the same. I don't need help grieving our fallen, railing against the injustice of their deaths is pointless. Rather, I thank God that people like LCpl Newman ever lived.
I find it telling that he betrayed his beliefs by refering to those of us who he does not agree with as "other supporters". I can only assume that he is not a "supporter" of men like LCpl Newman. Shame on him and those like him who live in the shade of the tree of liberty which has been faithfully tended by others.
SSG~
First and foremost - thank you for your service to our country and for keeping us safe and free. I will always appreciate it.
The mayor has only lived here 10 years - a period that has seen a 500% growth rate and a complete abandonment of the values this formerly small town used to hold. We would leave if we could, even though my dh was born here. We don't live in the city, just outside, so we can't even vote against him. But, the values of the community have been badly compromised and this is just a blatant example of that.
I thank God every day that men like Randy Newman lived. And, I thank God for you and all of those you serve with.
SSG,
I went to high school with Randy. He was an aquaintence of mine and a friend of my wife. We are heartbroken over the Bend City Council's abrupt decision to not name the bridge after Randy.
My wife was at that meeting and here is what REALLY happened. About 3-4 people were allowed to talk before the council interrupted them and voted. Not until after the council meeting was pretty much over did the rest of the speakers get to talk. By that time, the decision had already been made and the efforts of those who stayed to talk seemed to be for nothing, except of course that they were doing their best to honor Randy.
I think it was dispicable how Mayor Abernethy and his council members tried to make everyone feel better by naming a walkway after him instead. It was a comprimise. And with so much community support for naming the bridge after Randy, it was an awful thing to do. The new bridge is great. It is safer, larger, and looks good too, but every time I cross it, I can't help but feel angry about this whole thing.
It would have been such an easy thing to do. All they had to do was agree with what the people who elected them wanted, but they couldn't even represent those who put them into power.
Please see the following link....
http://www.ktvz.com/story.cfm?nav=news&storyID=19075
Gazing at the flag is a wonderful site..... Thank you to the creator of it for honoring our fallen friends. We owe it to all of our fallen soldiers to do everything we can to honor their sacrifice.... It is a shame that my mayor doesn't have the guts to do it.
Thanks,
MGB
MGB~
Thank you for letting us know exactly what happened - so the Bulletin wasn't that far off... amazing in itself.
Randy will ever live in our hearts - and will always have a place of honor here.
I am so sorry for the loss of your friend and the insults of the city. We must not forget come election day.
And, thank you for the kind words.
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