Tuesday, December 07, 2010

December 7 ~ Remembering Pearl Harbor

December Seventh, 1941





Sixty-nine years ago, December 7, 1941, the United States was rocked by the radio announcements that told of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Many historical and remembrance pieces will be written today: stories of history, stories of personal experience - though those will be fewer each year, stories of the reaction in the United States, Japan, the world, even a conspiracy theory or two. I am re-posting my remembrances.

Pearl Harbor Day. A Day That Will Live in Infamy.

What I always will remember is growing up in the shadow of Pearl Harbor - the ever present reminder of how ugly war was. There was nothing noble or gleeful about the awful day. I grew up with the stories of those who were there, stories of people I knew, stories of people who lived through it. As I get older, I can 'see' and 'hear' the stories come alive.

Each Sunday before Pearl Harbor Day, Puna would take us to the Arizona Memorial. Armed with the leis we had strung from the plumeria blossoms on our tree, the family went together. It used to be rather low-key to visit there, and once you got there, quite unusual to have anyone else at the Memorial. There wasn't a Visitor's Center yet. There was no evidence of the Park Service then. Just a guy at the dock that grabbed the little shuttle boat, tied it up and helped you off.

We would walk through the Memorial - our steps echoing in the cavern of the Memorial. Halfway through, we would stop and look at the ship resting beneath us, still leaking oil into the lapping sea, and carrying it ever away, like the spirit was still escaping the doomed craft. We would toss our leis into the water. Eventually, we would end at the Memorial wall, carved with all of the names of the men who died on the Arizona, most of whom were still entombed within.

Puna, this large mountain of a man, would clasp his hands behind him, dip his head in prayer, then focus on the wall and in a hauntingly beautiful, tenor voice would chant the names of the fallen. His voice would echo in the chamber. A more beautiful prayer I have never heard. Once, I looked at his face and saw the tears streaming down, but his voice never wavered. His eyes seemed to be closed, yet he never missed a name.

When the chanting was finished, we would walk back to the overlook on the ship and Puna would tell us about that Sunday morning. He spoke of the noise and the fear and the chaos. He spoke of curfews and rationing. He spoke of the increased military presence on the island. He spoke of the sorrow. And, he spoke of the fear of another attack. Then, he would talk about the uniting and the supporting and the belief in America.

Always, he finished with a warning. America will never be safe from people wanting to take away what we have. They will always want to destroy us, to conquer us, to marginalize us. If you don't believe me, come here and look - open your eyes and look - at what can happen, and will again.

I believe I only saw Puna serious twice a year - Pearl Harbor Day and Memorial Day. On those days, he spoke of bravery and heroism and patriotism. The rest of the year you could depend upon those laughing eyes and the aroma of his pipe. The parents are gone now, but the stories and the emotions remain. I am so grateful for what they shared and what they taught.

I'd like to say that I absorbed it all then, but I didn't. When we used to hike into the mountains and came across some of the crashed Japanese planes, mostly pirated shells, I still didn't get it. When December Seventh was marked at school by people telling their personal experiences, I didn't get it. Oh, I heard it all. I believed it all. I just didn't get it.

It wasn't until I was older and watched the world and global politics that I saw it, that I truly understood the lesson he was trying to teach all those years ago. On September Eleventh, one of the first thoughts I had was of standing in the Arizona Memorial with Puna and hearing his words.

I hope Americans have the resolve to fight for our country as we did in 1941, but I fear for us, now, more than ever.

This is my annual post on Pearl Harbor.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

SSG Sal Giunta ~ Medal of Honor

SSG Sal Giunta



On November 16, 2010, Staff Sergeant Sal Giunta of the 173rd Airborne will become the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War. His actions occurred in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley duiring the deployment chronicled in the movie "Restrepo." This fourteen-minute video tells his story.



And, the man he rescued that day - SGT Joshua C Brennan - click here to read his story.



Later, SSG Giunta's citation will be posted on the

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The Marine Who Captured My Heart ~~~ Cpl Aaron Mankin



Click Play. This will be one of the most inspiring six minutes you may ever spend.



I remember that sleepless night in May 2005 -- I was sitting at the computer and an email came in from a favorite Marine I was supporting.  It said, simply, "Can you pray for one of my men?  He's bad.  Really, really bad.  We don't know if he will make it."


Of course, I prayed.  I began knitting a prayer afghan - each stitch a wish, each row a prayer.  Eventually, my friend would deliver it to Aaron at Brooke Army Medical Center.

Over the days and weeks and months and years, I learned more about Aaron Mankin.  I heard about the pain of his unit in Iraq while they packed up his stuff to send it home and waited for news.  I heard about the emails with his family.  We prayed.  We all prayed.  Today, I keep his picture where I see it every day, reminding me that my struggles may truly be small.  I've never met Aaron.  But, I follow his progress, and I still pray for him.  This combat correspondent captured my heart.

Today is the 235th Marine Corps Birthday.  Today, in honor of the Marines and Aaron and so very many men and women like Aaron, please remember them.  Please remember them with gratitude.

Thank you USMC --- Happy Birthday!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

74 Fallen Marines Remembered

A trumpet player in the Combat Center’s Band plays taps over the 74 memorial crosses during Regimental Combat Team 7’s memorial ceremony Oct. 15 at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field. RCT-7 was deployed to Afghanistan
from Oct. 24, 2009 to Sept. 28, 2010.

Seventy-four military crosses line Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field during a memorial ceremony for Regimental Combat Team 7 Oct. 15. The total fallen consisted of 70 Marines, three sailors and one British civilian reporter.

“The only way that any of these men would have died in vain 
is if we give up in the effort that is currently succeeding in Afghanistan”

RCT-7 remembers 74 fallen brothers 

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif.   — Rows of military crosses solemnly lined Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field Oct. 15 during a memorial ceremony dedicated to the 74 men lost during to Regimental Combat Team 7’s recent deployment to Afghanistan. From October 24, 2009 to September 28, 2010, units attached to RCT-7 lost 70 Marines, three sailors, and one British journalist to the war overseas.

Seventy-three helmets were placed on 73 rifles while 73 dog tags hung over 73 new boots. There was a single white cross in the midst of them all, with a British flag placed beside it, a quiet reminder the United States is not alone in this war.

“The battlefield cross – its purpose, to show honor and respect for the fallen at the battle sight,” stated a narrator of the service. “Today its immediate need is to show respect for the fallen among the still living members of the unit.”

Regimental Commander Col. Randy P. Newman rose and spoke of the honor these 74 men showed on the battlefield.

“We pay tribute today to what these men gave, lives cut short but not unfulfilled,” Newman said. “Each man gave their lives in a noble effort to give back to the people of Afghanistan so they can determine their future and to increase the security of our own nation.”

As he spoke, the 74 crosses behind him held a reminder for every Marine in attendance of what it means to fight alongside one another to complete the Corps’ mission.

“Once the first drop of blood was shed by a Marine in Afghanistan, we became committed to remaining there for however long our nation desires there,” Newman said.

“Our Corps will remain there and will fight because that is what we do. They went on to the battlefield with the full understanding that we were 100 percent committed to what we were there for.

“The only way that any of these men would have died in vain is if we give up in the effort that is currently succeeding in Afghanistan,” Newman said.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Valour-IT 2010


Once again, it is time to ask people to donate to ValourIT
The program that provides computers with voice to text software and GPS locators to our wounded warriors.  These devices enable them to communicate and to regain a sense of freedom.

Over the years, I have written several pieces about ValourIT - archive

For a friendly competition between branches, you can donate or sign up at the links below

Marine Team

learn more
For more info on Team Marine - click here


Air Force Team

learn more
For more info on Team Air Force - click here


Navy Team

learn more
For more info on Team Navy - click here


Army Team

learn more
 For more info on Team Army - click here

*******************************************
See the competitive standings - here 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

USS Cole (DDG 67) ~ 10 years ago

Ten years ago on October 12, a refueling stop in the port of Aden, Yemen, turned into a terrorist attack on the USS Cole.  The attack killed 17 sailors and wounded 39.  In this act of terrorism against the United States by the minions of Osama bin Laden, we were thrust ever farther into the War against Terrorism.

A tenth anniversary post from the USS Cole's commander, CDR Kirk S Lippold:
http://blog.usni.org/2010/10/11/uss-cole-ddg-67-a-guest-post-from-cdr-kirk-s-lippold-usn-ret/

 Attack on the USS Cole left 17 sailors dead and 39 wounded

Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer
Richard Costelow
Morrisville, Pennsylvania

Signalman Seaman Recruit
Cherone Louis Gunn,
Rex, Georgia

Seaman
James Rodrick McDaniels,
Norfolk, Virginia

Seaman Recruit
Lakiba Nicole Palmer,
San Diego, California

Operations Specialist Second Class
Timothy Lamont Saunders,
Ringgold, Virginia

Ensign
Andrew Triplett,
Macon, Mississippi

Seaman Apprentice
Craig Bryan Wibberley,
Williamsport, Maryland

Hull Maintenance Technician Third Class
Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter,
Mechanicsville, Virginia

Mess Management Specialist Seaman
Lakeina Monique Francis,
Woodleaf, North Carolina

Information Systems Technician Seaman
Timothy Lee Gauna,
Rice, Texas

Engineman Second Class
Marc Ian Nieto,
Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin

Electronics Warfare Technician Second Class
Ronald Scott Owens,
Vero Beach, Florida

Engineman Fireman
Joshua Langdon Parlett,
Churchville, Maryland

Fireman Apprentice
Patrick Howard Roy,
Keedysville, Maryland

Electronics Warfare Technician First Class
Kevin Shawn Rux,
Portland, North Dakota

Mess Management Specialist Third Class
Ronchester Mananga Santiago,
Kingsville, Texas

Firecontrolman
Gary Graham Swenchonis, Jr.,
Rockport, Texas

May we ever remember them.......



 Bringing the USS Cole home

USS Cole Memorial - Norfolk
The 17 granite slabs around the monoliths are in remembrance of the 17 who were murdered that day.
The Memorial sits at the berthing area for the USS Cole.
The families still wait for a memorial at Arlington National Cemetery and for the justice they deserve.

Obama Administration drops charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, 
the alleged mastermind behind the USS Cole bombing and other terrorist attacks,
in February 2009.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Pentagon ~ Lost on September Eleventh



The Pentagon Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
The Pentagon is directly behind the trees.

Pentagon Lost Victims List
Click on underlined names to read tributes
Names in Italics are members of American Airlines Flight 77
Paul W. Ambrose
Petty Officer Melissa Rose Barnes, Navy
Master Sgt. Max J. Beilke, Army, Retired
Yeneneh Betru
Petty Officer Kris Romeo Bishundat, Navy
Carrie R. Blagburn
Mary Jane Booth
Donna M. Bowen
Allen P. Boyle
Bernard C. Brown II
Petty Officer Christopher L. Burford, Navy
Capt. Charles F. Burlingame III, Naval Reserve, Retired
Petty Officer Daniel M. Caballero, Navy
Sgt. Jose O. Calderon-Olmedo, Army
Suzanne M. Calley
Sharon A. Carver
William E. Caswell
Sgt. 1st Class John J. Chada, Army, Retired
Rosa Maria Chapa
David M. Charlebois
Sara M. Clark
Julian T. Cooper
Asia S. Cottom
Lt. Cmdr. Eric A. Cranford, Navy
Ada M. Davis
James D. Debeuneure
Capt. Gerald F. DeConto, Navy
Rodney Dickens
Lt. Col. Jerry D. Dickerson, Army
Eddie A. Dillard
Petty Officer Johnnie Doctor Jr., Navy
Capt. Robert E. Dolan Jr., Navy
Cmdr. William H. Donovan, Navy
Lt. Cmdr. Charles A. Droz III, Navy, Retired
Cmdr. Patrick Dunn, Navy
Petty Officer Edward T. Earhart, Navy
Barbara G. Edwards
Lt. Cmdr. Robert R. Elseth, Naval Reserve
Charles S. Falkenberg
Dana Falkenberg
Zoe Falkenberg
Petty Officer Jamie L. Fallon, Navy
J. Joseph Ferguson
Amelia V. Fields
Gerald P. Fisher
Darlene E. Flagg
Rear Adm. Wilson F. Flagg, Naval Reserve, Retired
Petty Officer Matthew M. Flocco, Navy
Sandra N. Foster
1st Lt. Richard P. Gabriel, Marine Corps, Retired
Capt. Lawrence D. Getzfred, Navy
Cortez Ghee
Brenda C. Gibson
Col. Ronald F. Golinski, Army, Retired
Ian J. Gray
Diane Hale-McKinzy
Stanley R. Hall
Carolyn B. Halmon
Michele M. Heidenberger
Sheila M.S. Hein
Petty Officer Ronald J. Hemenway, Navy
Maj. Wallace Cole Hogan Jr., Army
Staff Sgt. Jimmie I. Holley, Army, Retired
Angela M. Houtz
Brady Kay Howell
Peggie M. Hurt
Lt. Col. Stephen N. Hyland Jr., Army
Sgt. Maj. Lacey B. Ivory, Army
Bryan C. Jack
Steven D. Jacoby
Lt. Col. Dennis M. Johnson, Army
Judith L. Jones
Ann C. Judge
Brenda Kegler
Chandler R. Keller
Yvonne E. Kennedy
Norma Cruz Khan
Karen Ann Kincaid
Lt. Michael S. Lamana, Navy
David W. Laychak
Dong Chul Lee
Jennifer Lewis
Kenneth E. Lewis
Samantha L. Lightbourn-Allen
James T. Lynch Jr.
Terence M. Lynch
Petty Officer Nehamon Lyons IV, Navy
Shelley A. Marshall
Teresa M. Martin
Ada L. Mason-Acker
Lt. Col. Dean E. Mattson, Army
Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Maude, Army
Robert J. Maxwell
Renée A. May
Molly L. McKenzie
Dora Marie Menchaca
Patricia E. Mickley
Gerard P. Moran Jr.
Odessa V. Morris
Petty Officer Brian A. Moss, Navy
Teddington H. Moy
Lt. Cmdr. Patrick J. Murphy, Naval Reserve
Christopher C. Newton
Khang Ngoc Nguyen
Petty Officer Michael A. Noeth, Navy
Barbara K. Olson
Ruben S. Ornedo
Diana B. Padro
Lt. Jonas M. Panik, Naval Reserve
Maj. Clifford L. Patterson Jr., Army
Robert Penninger
Robert R. Ploger III
Zandra F. Ploger
Lt. Darin H. Pontell, Naval Reserve
Scott Powell
Capt. Jack D. Punches, Navy, Retired
Petty Officer Joseph J. Pycior Jr., Navy
Lisa J. Raines
Deborah A. Ramsaur
Rhonda Sue Rasmussen
Petty Officer Marsha D. Ratchford, Navy
Martha M. Reszke
Todd H. Reuben
Cecelia E. (Lawson) Richard
Edward V. Rowenhorst
Judy Rowlett
Sgt. Maj. Robert E. Russell, Army, Retired
Chief Warrant Officer William R. Ruth, Army National Guard
Charles E. Sabin Sr.
Marjorie C. Salamone
John P. Sammartino
Col. David M. Scales, Army
Cmdr. Robert A. Schlegel, Navy
Lt. Col. Michael L. Selves, Army, Retired
Marian H. Serva
Cmdr. Dan F. Shanower, Navy
Antionette M. Sherman
Diane M. Simmons
George W. Simmons
Donald D. Simmons
Cheryle D. Sincock
Petty Officer Gregg H. Smallwood, Navy
Lt. Col. Gary F. Smith, Army, Retired
Mari-Rae Sopper
Robert Speisman
Patricia J. Statz
Edna L. Stephens
Norma Lang Steuerle
Sgt. Maj. Larry L. Strickland, Army
Hilda E. Taylor
Lt. Col. Kip P. Taylor, Army
Leonard E. Taylor
Sandra C. Taylor
Sandra D. Teague
Lt. Col. Karl W. Teepe, Army, Retired
Sgt. Tamara C. Thurman, Army
Lt. Cmdr. Otis V. Tolbert, Navy
Staff Sgt. Willie Q. Troy, Army, Retired
Lt. Cmdr. Ronald J. Vauk, Naval Reserve
Lt. Col. Karen J. Wagner, Army
Meta L. (Fuller) Waller
Spc. Chin Sun Pak Wells, Army
Staff Sgt. Maudlyn A. White, Army
Sandra L. White
Leslie A Whittington
Ernest M. Willcher
Lt. Cmdr. David L. Williams, Navy
Capt. John D. Yamnicky Sr., Navy, Retired
Vicki Yancey
Petty Officer Kevin W. Yokum, Navy
Chief Petty Officer Donald M. Young, Navy
Lisa L. Young
Shuyin Yang
Yuguang Zheng

I would encourage you to click the following link for more September Eleventh posts:
http://gazingattheflag.blogspot.com/search/label/9%2F11

Friday, September 10, 2010

Marvin Roger Woods ~ I Remember

Marvin Roger Woods
Retired US Navy, Chief Radio Man and Civilian Pentagon Employee
January 6, 1944 - September 11, 2001 - The Pentagon


Marvin Roger Woods was devoted to the Navy and his country throughout his life.  He retired from the US Navy after 22 years on active duty, took a six week vacation, went back to work for next 18 years as a civilian communications manager for the Navy.  He had been stationed at the Pentagon since the mid-1990's and had an office in the newly renovated section of the building - the section hit by Flight 77.  He is buried in Section 64 in the shadow of the Pentagon with many others who were killed that day.

He liked to hunt and fish and to work in his woodshop behind his home.
He was married to Betty Woods for 30 years.  Woods -- known as "Roger" to friends and family -- grew up in Owendale, Michigan. He served a tour in Vietnam, then met his wife in October 1971 while on leave. Three months later, they were married, and together they went off to his next assignment, in Puerto Rico. Like many military families, Woods, his wife and their three children traveled from city to city, port to port.

The post is part of Project 2996.

Major Ronald Dutrell Milam ~ I Remember

Major Ronald Dutrell Milam
August 11, 1968 - September 11, 2001 - The Pentagon


Major Ronald Dutrell Milam, son of Tommie and Effie Milam of Muskogee, Oklahoma, husband of Jacqueline Link Milam, who is Captain in the Air Force, and father of daughter Myejoi Olivia Link and his son Ronald Dutrell Milam, Jr, who was born after his death, was killed in the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. He rests in Section 64 of Arlington National Cemetery, in the shadow of the Pentagon and with those who perished with him that day.

Ronald graduated from Muskogee High School and Eastern New Mexico University. He earned his Bachelors degree and was a member of the Greyhound basketball team. He also participated in ROTC and was commissioned through that program. His alma mater has set up a scholarship in his name.


Later in life, he became passionate about golf. His father told the Washington Post, "He really did love golf. That was his true passion—after his wife, Jacqueline, and daughter, Myejoi. [A son, Ron Jr., was born posthumously.] He came home to Tulsa on leave at one point, and he purchased this custom set of clubs. He just couldn’t put them down. Even when he went on business trips, he’d always have his clubs with him.”




Ronald was the military assistant to one of the deputy assistant secretaries of the Army. A meeting that morning took him to the area of the Pentagon hit by Flight 77.



Jacqueline and Ronald met while on deployment in Korea - she with the Air Force and he with the Army. Their assignments kept them apart, but they stayed in touch and were married January 15, 2000. They had started their family with a daughter, Myejoi, and had just learned that the new baby was going to be a boy - the son who will never meet his father.


This post is part of Project 2996
 

SPC Craig Scott Amundson ~ I Remember

SPC Craig Scott Amundson
United States Army
August 21, 1973 - September 11, 2001 - The Pentagon

Craig is listed second on this side of the Arlington Cemetery Memorial
- near where the Pentagon casualties are buried in Section 64, in the shadow of the Pentagon.



SPC Craig Scott Amundson, United States Army, was killed in the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.  Craig is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in the shadow of the Pentagon and with the others who gave their lives there.

On a beautiful late summer morning, Scott went to work at his job in the Pentagon.  He was a Graphic Artist assigned to the Army's Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.   Scott said good-bye that morning at his Fort Belvoir, Virginia home to his wife, Amber Flury Amundson and their children, Charlotte and Elliot.

Craig was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and raised in Anamosa, Iowa.  He graduated fro Anamosa High School in 1992.  He played on the football team and was active in the film/media department.  He attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City and received his Bachelor in Arts in Film Studies.  He had his own graphics design company called SockoDesign.  He had just joined the Military Career Transition Program at Old Dominion University and had begun work towards becoming an elementary school teacher.

His parents, Orland and Karen Amundson, own a pharmacy in Hartville, Missouri - a town of 700.  Craig designed a web site for Star Pharmacy.  

He came from a close knit family.  His easy smile made him at home in many places.

Craig's Arlington Page is here:  http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/csamundson.htm

This post is part of  Project 2996

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Christian Bagge - Going Home At Last

You may remember this great picture of Christian Bagge running with President Bush. Christian lost both legs in and IED attack in Iraq on June 3, 2005. At the time, he had been married to Melissa for three months. Finally, they are coming back home to Oregon with their two children. They are coming home to a new adaptive home built by Homes for Our Troops.

Read about Christian and Melissa's journey here

And, read about what Homes For Our Troops are doing for the Bagge's here

Thank you to a great organization Homes For Our Troops


Sunday, July 04, 2010

Stephen Hopkins ~ Founder and Patriot


Stephen Hopkins
1707 - 1785

Representative of Rhode Island to the Continental Congress
Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Stephen Hopkins, like so many of the founders, was a self-educated man who served his community and his nation in any way possible. He served in many positions locally, in the Rhode Island Colonial Assemby, was elected as the Governor of Rhode Island nine times, was the first Chancellor of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (now known as Brown University), a member of the Continental Congress and the person who put together the first American Navy.

He was a early critic of Britian and advocate for Independence. He freed his slaves and tried to prohibit slavery from the colonies. In 1774, he introduced a bill that prohibited the importation of slaves into the colony of Rhode Island, and this became one of the first anti-slavery laws in the new United States.

A sufferer of cerebral palsey, his signature appeared trembling when he signed the Declaration of Independence. "My hand trembles, my heart does not," he said at the signing.


Stephen Hopkins House

His home in Providence, Rhode Island still stands and is on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.

Signers of the Declaration of Independence

The Signers of the Declaration of Independence


Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas M'Kean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carrol

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Thomas Lynch, Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Click on the links to read their stories.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The Changing of the Guard ~ The Final Walk


The Final Walk of the Sergeant of the Guard
at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Sgt. 1st Class Alfred Lanier, Sergeant of the Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
lays a rose at the Tomb in remembrance of his final walk on June 25.
Sentinels lay roses signifying leaving the Tomb,
and the love they have for the job and the Unknown


Thank you for your service.



Hat Tip to MD Conservative for sharing this story --- http://ci-report.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 14, 2010

June 14 ~ Flag Day

Flag Day ~ June 14

O'er the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave


Fort McHenry
The sight that inspired Francis Scott Key
to write the poem
The Star-Spangled Banner







Iwo Jima - Marine Memorial





The Flag at Arlington House
Arlington National Cemetery





The Flag at the National Archives





The 50 Flags of the States
Washinton Monument





Fredricksburg National Cemetery





The Flag at the Stonewall Jackson Shrine
The site where he died.


Flag at Petersen Gardens in Oregon
Mr. Petersen scoured the desert for rocks and glass and built some incredible stuctures from them. This flag has 48 stars.



World War II Memorial



Flag at Fort Meade Parade Grounds




Flag at Vietnam War Memorial
Pueblo, Colorado


Flag at the Painted Hills
John Day National Monument




Flag at Home
Summer and Winter


Photos from my personal collection and travels