Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 11-24-2010

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Beth

PFC Chance Phelps
PFC Chance Phelps
19 years old from Dubois, Wyoming
3 Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
April 9, 2004
U.S. Marines

"I don't think anything can prepare you for two young men standing in the living room telling you your son’s been killed," said Gretchen Mack, mother of PFC Chance Phelps. "It's just surreal. They were crying." The last time she had talked her to son was a few days before his death. "He said, 'Mom, I'm fine.' He sounded great. It was really good to be able to talk to him. It made us feel better."

PFC Phelps was KIA while battling insurgents just outside of Baghdad, Iraq.

Friends recall Phelps as a fun-loving, hard-nosed kid. "He was big but didn't throw his size around to intimidate people", said Jarod Estey. "He was probably the toughest kid I knew growing up in grade school. He was probably the biggest kid, too — well-built and strong. But he was real easy going. He always had a smile on his face."

"He was very in tune politically," said his mother. "He knew what he wanted for this country. ... He told me after 9/11, 'I absolutely have to go. I've got to do something.'" But joining the military isn't anything new for the family. His father, John Phelps, is a Vietnam veteran. And his sister, Kelley, works at the Pentagon and is engaged to an Army sergeant.

"He had an unusual amount of zest," said his mother. "He just possessed this quality that he had to be in the thick of things all the time. He was very, very positive, very funny. ... His main thing in life was making people laugh."

You can read more here.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Gottwalt Finds His Niche...

From a press release:
ST. PAUL –Rep. Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud, has accepted an
appointment to chair the House Health and Human Services Reform
Committee.

Gottwalt, who recently won election to a third term, has served on
House HHS committees and other key HHS groups as a member of the
minority. He sponsored numerous reform-minded initiatives and said his
new leadership position will give him a chance to advance common-sense
solutions. The state estimated his Healthy Minnesota Plan bill could
save more than $110 million over two years, while paying hospitals and
providers better and providing coverage to low income Minnesotans.

“The need for true reform in HHS could not be more clear,” Gottwalt
said. “We face significant budget challenges in the upcoming session
and I am eager to get to work on sustainable solutions. We are in great
need of a new approach. Our current approach to HHS services is making
many promises we cannot keep with money we do not have. I am honored to
serve as chair of this important committee."
They couldn't find a better fit for the position.

Congratulations, Steve...and congratulations, Minnesota!~

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 11-17-2010; SSgt Salvatore Giunta

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy

SSgt. Salvatore Giunta
SSgt. Salvatore Giunta
25 years old from Ceder Rapid, Iowa
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
U.S. Army

Yesterday, SSgt. Salvatore Giunta became the first living recipient of the Medal Of Honor since the Vietnam War.

From the official citation:

Then-Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself by acts of gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifle team leader with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan on October 25, 2007. When an insurgent force ambush split Specialist Giunta’s squad into two groups, he exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover. Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Specialist Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security. His courage and leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon’s ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American paratrooper from enemy hands.”


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Veteran's Day, 2011...

A few musings...

First, I would like to dedicate this post to current veterans of the war on terror, including my son, Doug:



Going back to Vietnam, I would like to thank my friend Lonnie from my forum home, who wrote the following poem:

ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE, ANOTHER WAR

We are old men now, graying, grandparents,
those of us who are still alive.


We are black and white and yellow and red
and every shade in between
We are crippled, some in body, some in mind,
all in soul
We bled and we died and we came home where
we bled and died some more
We came home to an indifferent
and uncaring nation
And we left more than blood
in a far and distant land

We are old men now, graying, grandparents
those of us who are still alive.

We watch our sons, our daughters return
from yet another far and distant land
We watch and weep, weep bitter tears
for a generation, a youth lost
But also tears of joy, tears for a nation,
a new beginning, tears for yellow ribbons
on the Central Boulevards of Hometown, USA

It was a long time coming, our welcome home
Through misty, half-closed eyes, we remember,
and imagine, imagine we see our own names,
just a faint imprint, a ghost-like image,
but our own names on those signs

We see the names and the ribbons
on the Central Boulevards of Hometown, USA
and we remember another time,
another place, another war.

We are old men now, graying, grandparents
those of us who are still alive.

Lonnie Henderson
May 29, 1991


With respect to the Korean war, I'd like to honor my Uncle; Gerard Gravel. My father, Leo Pusateri, Sr., served during World War II; and my grandfather, Tony Pusateri, served in World War I.

As a member of the Patriot Guard, I had the honor last Sunday of standing in the flag line of a Veteran's parade at the local V.A.

I stood there, flag in hand, in awe and tears, as Veterans from all walks of life, from WWII to Korea, to Vietnam, to the current wars, walked, rode in vehicles, and/or were pushed in wheelchairs. I shed tears as Blue Star mothers, military wives, and their children and grandchildren walked with pictures of their soldiers and homemade posters in hand.

When all had finally passed, it was the Patriot Guards' turn to walk in the parade. I stood there, flag in hand, and watched as my Patriot Guard friends (most of whom were veterans) assembled to walk the route. One of them turned to me, and asked, "Aren't you gonna walk?" I told him, "Sir, I never wore a uniform. I wouldn't feel right." He replied, "You go ahead and walk with us. It's an honor."

So I walked the route, in the company of heroes.

An honor, indeed.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The Kos-Kids Death Wish...

I received this in my email box yesterday morning:
DAILY KOS

Mnred,

On Friday, I sent you an email about how the Blue Dogs, even after losing half of their members in the 2010 elections, were trying to oust Nancy Pelosi as the leader of Democrats in the House. Apparently, the Blue Dogs want to bring their special brand of magic--caving to Republicans, and then losing to them anyway--to the entire House Democratic caucus.

A couple of hours after I sent you that email, Speaker Pelosi fought back, and announced she would run for re-election as House Democratic Leader. She did so because of the overwhelming support she received from progressive members of Congress and tens of thousands of members of the Daily Kos community in the face of the Blue Dog threat.

The leadership battle is on now, and both sides are trying to round up as many supporters as possible. The Blue Dogs have Wall Street on their side, so it’s imperative we let Nancy Pelosi--and all House Democrats--know the grassroots are firmly on her side.

Sign the petition showing your support for Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic Leader. I should have an opportunity to deliver the signatures to her personally later this week, so she will know you've got her back.

So, after the drubbing the democrats took in both the U.S. House and the State houses, they keep on coming back for more?

In the words of George W. Bush, "Bring it on."

That is all.

Some Disconcerting News in the Blogosphere...

Since the inception of this blog, I've utilized blogrolling.com to provide links to blogs that I find interesting, and or the blogrolls that I'm part of.

Now today I found that blogrolling will cease operation after April 11, 2011.

It was a great service, and will be missed. I hope that some other service can take up the slack before then.

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 11-10-2010

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi

Capt. George Vujnovich
Capt. George Vujnovich
95 years old from Queens, New York
U.S. Army

66 years after he was instrumental in the rescue of almost 500 bomber pilots who had been shot down over Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia, Capt. George Vujnovich was finally awarded the Bronze Star in October.

You can read the rest of Capt. George Vujnovich's story here.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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