I want you to know this my friend, you and all the others have earned a place in the hearts of good and decent people. I would give you all this medal for real if I could. There are many ways to serve, this one shines AK,.......it just shines.
God Bless you all.
UPDATE;--from the news article AK linked to.
Within weeks, he'll be in Iraq.
For the next 18 months or so - 545 days, according to their orders - the 3,500 men and women of Washington's 81st will be active-duty soldiers.
They will undergo training at Fort Lewis, Yakima Training Center in Eastern Washington and probably in Southern California before heading for the Middle East.
Saturday, as men like Stroup packed duffel bags with clothes and gear, some 4,000 supporters stood on freeway bridges spanning Interstate 5 from Fort Lewis to McChord Air Force Base.
There were also about 20 antiwar protesters, according to law enforcement officials.
A sea of flags and smile to send them off, now that's an image I would have loved to have seen in my day. But it was five years after Vietnam and idiots like Frogguts held the microphones, no counter opinions were tolerated. The snarkiness of his post attests to the bile he carries for those of us who don't share his distorted, defeatist attitude. There are far, far better men involved,
Thomas, 47, has served 20 years in uniform. He could have retired and not gone to Iraq. But he decided not to.
"I'm just gonna hang around 'til they boot me out," he said. "I just like doin' this and bein' around these guys."
And when he left home Saturday morning, what did he say to his wife?
"I told her I loved her," he said, "and that I'll be back."
Posted by Mark (puggs) at November 17, 2003 12:05 PM | TrackBackThanks Mark and thanks Neal.
Oh and Neal, could those be Photon Logic Torpedoes?
Posted by: analog kid on November 17, 2003 01:50 PMGood post. I was at the KVI "Support Our Troops" rally on Saturday. I am a liberal who believes that we need to support our troops regardless of what the politics of this war is all about. It is our troops that have made it possible to disagree with our government if you feel the need to.
Personally, I support what is happening in Iraq. However, I feel that GWB misstepped when he relied too heavily on WMD as a reason for going into Iraq.
Posted by: Political Pulpit on November 17, 2003 07:20 PMHello Mr. Pulpit. I was looking for a way to get hold of you earlier in the week, but couldn't find you addy.
When I heard Carlson read your e-mail I knew, regardless of political differences, that I wanted to meet up with you on Saturday.
Maybe next time, sir.
Posted by: analog kid on November 17, 2003 10:08 PM