I got a request from Texas Fred requesting help for this young man, and I am glad to pass this info along. I would be in line if I lived in Dallas area, but I don't. Help if you can.
The Gift of Life
As we approach the Christmas season, our thoughts turn to giving. Traditionally we look for meaningful presents to give our loved ones that help us celebrate the gift of life that Christ gave us by his suffering and death. I am posting this request to ask that you give the gift of life itself to a complete stranger this Christmas.
His name is Tyler Seedig and he is a young Marine who was bound for his first duty station in just three weeks. He was home with his family this Thanksgiving weekend and went deer hunting with his older brother on Sunday. On the way back home they were involved in a car accident that claimed the life of the older brother and left Tyler severely burned. He was transported to the Parkland Burn Unit where he remains in a critical care unit with severe burns over 65% of his body. He will not be reporting to his unit in Afghanistan, nor will he be home for Christmas, New Years or possibly even Easter. Tyler will most likely spend the next six months in Parkland Hospital trying to survive the initial trauma, fight off the coming infections and allow his body to slowly rebuild.
Tyler needs blood. Plasma in particular, so the type is unimportant. I am asking any capable person who can to give the most precious gift possible this year and donate a pint of blood to Carter Blood Center in the name of Tyler Seedig, Parkland Burn Unit, Dallas, TX. It costs us nothing except time and minor discomfort to give, but it can save the life of Tyler or someone else in need.
Through out this season we always talk of helping those in need, of giving to those less fortunate and of remembering those who serve. Here is the perfect chance to do all of those things with a simple pint of blood. Help this young Marine who was embarking on a journey of service and self-sacrifice in order to defend your freedoms and serve this nation where ever the call might have taken him. Think of what a precious chance it is to be able to give life to another.
Please keep this family in your prayers as well. They have lost a son and must plan a funeral during a season which should bring joy to us all, while they stand by the bedside of another son who clings to life by a thread. Remember them this season as you celebrate the love of your own families and cherish those around you for you never know when the call home may come.
Judging Truth: The Gift of Life
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Gift of Life
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Wednesday Hero
23 years old from Cedar Park, Texas
2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
April 06, 2008
"He was a very creative kid, and when he wasn't in a challenging environment, he tried to make life interesting," Glenn Morris, father of Spc. Morris, said. "He excelled in a military school structure and in a team environment."
Before enlisting in the Army in 2005, Morris attended the Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia where he met a history teacher who inspired him to want to become an educator. "After his service, he wanted to go back to school and get a four-year degree to become a teacher," said his mother, Lisa. "He wanted to make a difference and give back to the community."
Spc. Morris was killed when his vehicle encountered an IED in Balad, Iraq. Also killed in the attack was Cpt. Ulises Burgos-Cruz.
All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com
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.
Military Truisms
"Aim towards the Enemy." [Instruction printed on US rocket launcher]
• When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is no longer our friend. [From a US Field Manual]
• Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs always hit the ground.
• Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.
• Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't ever volunteer to do anything.
• If your attack is going too well, you are walking into an ambush.
• If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly.
• Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you.
• No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection.
• Any ship can be a minesweeper . . . . once.
• If the enemy is in range, so are you.
• Tracers work both ways.
• Friendly fire isn't.
• Five second fuses only last three seconds.
• Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you are.
• The problem with taking the easy way out is that the enemy has already mined it.
• Incoming fire has the right of way.
• The quartermaster has only two sizes: too large and too small.
• If you can see the enemy, he can see you.
• And never tell your Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.
Why Rednecks Make Good Soldiers
Dear Ma & Pa:
Am well. Hope you are. Tell brother Walt & brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before maybe all of the places are filled.
I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt & Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing. Men got to shave but it is not so bad, they git warm water.
Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc..., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie, and other regular food. But tell Walt & Elmer you can always sit between two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you till noon, when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.
We go on "route" marches, which the Platoon Sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it is not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys gets sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. The country is nice, but awful flat.
The Sergeant is like a schoolteacher. He nags some. The Capt. is like the school board. Majors & Colonels just ride around & frown. They don't bother you none.
This next will kill Walt & Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk and don't move. And it ain't shooting at you, like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.
Be sure to tell Walt & Elmer to hurry & join before other fellers get into this setup & come stampeding in.
Your loving daughter, Gail
P.S. Speaking of shooting, enclosed is $200 towards a new barn roof & ma's teeth. The city boys shoot craps, but not very good.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Military vs. Civilian Friends
Nothing like military friends. These are all true. Many is the time I had been TDY somewhere, and sure enough I would run into someone I new and had not seen in years.
You have to love our miltary, because there are none like them.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Tell you not to do something stupid when drunk
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will post 360 security so you don't get caught
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you were having last time you met.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs
MILITARY FRIENDS: Call your parents when they're drunk and tell them about the fat chick you tried to pick up
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Hope the night out drinking goes smoothly, and hope that no one is late for the ride home.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Know some wild stuff will happen, and set up rally points "alpha, bravo and charlie" and an Escape & Evade route.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Bail you out of jail and tell you what you did was wrong.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...we screwed up...but hey, that was really fun!"
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Cry with you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Laugh at you and tell you that you might need some vagasil.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Steal each other's stuff so often nobody remembers who bought it in the first place.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are happy that someone picked up a one night stand and leave them alone.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will Low Crawl naked into the room with a camera and hope for the tag team.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will listen to your relationship problems and hope it works out for you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will listen to you over a long hard road march, and will help you straighten it out better than Dr. Phil.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Might try to hit on your girl behind your back.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Have spooned with you in the field more than your girl has, and would never even think about doing that.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds @ss that left you.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!"
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will try and talk to the bouncer when you get tossed out of the bar.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will man up and go after the bouncer for touching you on the way out.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will wish you had enough money to go out that night, and are sorry you couldn't come.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will share their last dollar with you, drag you along, and try to steal free drinks all night.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, "You better drink the rest of that, you know we don't waste.. That's alcohol abuse!!!"
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Want the money they loaned you back next week.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Can't begin to remember who owes who money after taking care of each other for so long.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will say "I can't handle Tequila anymore".
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will say "okay just one more" and then 2 minutes later "okay just one more".
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk trash to the person who talks trash about you.
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will knock them out!!
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will tell you "They'd take a bullet for you."
MILITARY FRIENDS: Will actually take a bullet for you.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Group targets Texas for law to openly carry guns
I don't think this is a problem. To me it is much easier to wear it openly than try and conceal it. I know it will have it's down side.. Some will say the bad guys will kill you just to get your gun,, well there are a lot of what if's, and open carry to me is the way to go. I know the libs will have a field day with this one.
Associated Press
Nov. 30, 2008, 12:14PMShare Print Email Del.icio.usDiggTechnoratiYahoo! BuzzFORT WORTH — Saying Texas firearm laws are overly restrictive, a group of gun advocates is lobbying state lawmakers to permit wearing handguns in plain view.
With the legislative session scheduled to begin in January, supporters of "open-carry laws" have placed ads on billboards in Houston and San Antonio and on taxis in Austin.
The Texas campaign is expected to intensify Tuesday with a radio message in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. The ad says, "We don't hide our colors, do we?" and encourages Texans to sign an online petition asking lawmakers to make Texas a place where people can openly wear their guns. More than 28,000 people have signed it so far.
"We are targeting Texas," said Mike Stollenwerk, co-founder of www.opencarry.org, in a story Sunday in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Get ready for a showdown in Austin come January."
Stollenwerk said Texas is one of the nation's most pro-gun states and promised an "awakening" when "Texans realize how restrictive their rights are."
Texas is one of six states — along with New York, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina — in which handguns can't be worn in plain view. The other 44 states, in the parlance of gun advocates, are known as "open-carry" states.
Ralph Carroll, 48, said he views an open-carry law as another way for him to protect his three children. He said fears about increased gun violence after the passage of Texas' concealed-carry law haven't happened.
"I just simply want to ensure I have self-protection if the need arises," said Carroll, who lives in Van Zandt County. "The same reason I wear my seat belt, carry a spare tire and have a working fire extinguisher."
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Strange Cloud Formations Over Houston Lately
I am not one to look up at the sky often, but lately, I have noticed some strange cloud formations. Like the other day, there was not a cloud in the sky and all of a sudden I see this plane flying overhead at a very high altitude and it is leaving a strange trail behind it. At first I thouht it was just a contrail, which after 21 years in the Air Force I am use to seeing, but contrail break up pretty fast. This one didn't break up at all, it just kept getting wider and wider. Anyone ever see anything like this. Oh, I saw not long ago cloud formations being formed in the shape of an X and I saw two planes leaving these trails behind them. I took this pic the other day of one, and I think I will start watching the sky more from now on. Anyone have a clue what this is???
Man kills wife, himself in house full of relatives
Hell of a way to start the holildays.
A man terrorized a house full of relatives early today before killing his estranged wife and shooting himself in the head, authorities said. The man, who died at the scene, was simultaneously shot by a Harris County Sheriff's deputy, police said.
As many as 20 people, including children, were hiding in closets and bedrooms in the home in the 7000 block of Pouter as they took cover, said Lt. John Legg, of the Sheriff's Office.
The man apparently shot his wife as deputies arrived shortly before 5 a.m., Legg said.
Family members identified the couple as Charles Smith and Myrtle Smith. The two had been married 39 years but separated in September.
Myrtle Smith, 59, moved into her 41-year-old daughter's home on Pouter a month ago, relatives said.
"They figured he wouldn't find them if they moved over here," said Willy Terry, Myrtle Smith's brother.
Relatives said they met at Myrtle Smith's house to celebrate her daughter's 41st birthday. Charles Smith, who was 60 or 61, they said, came to the door with a gun.
When deputies arrived, Legg said, the man was pressing a gun to his head and told deputies he wasn't coming out of the house. As officers spoke to him through a door, he momentarily placed the gun down, then picked it up with the barrel aimed toward his head and a deputy, Legg said.
After a brief verbal exchange, he fired as he was simultaneously hit by a blast from a deputy's shotgun, Legg said.
"At that time, the suspect's firearm and the deputy's firearm go off. The deputy was concerned he was going to be shot," Legg said. "It does appear at this time that the suspect took his own life."
More information is expected as the investigation continues.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wednesday Hero
Lance Cpl. Samuel Joyce, from Boston, accepts a bagfull of toys during the Toys For Tots 5k Run at Fleet Activities Yokosuka. Runners donated new toys to the local Marine's Toys for Tots program.
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 Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams. Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look
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.
Men Like This Gave Us FREEDOM for America
I read this over at this great blog
and thougt it was worth passing on. To ofte we forget and overlook the old folks. You never know who you may be overlooking or what you can learn from just a short conversation.
As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open.
The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty five feet away.
I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm, walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too and took a few steps towards him. I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something.
The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade and then turn back to the old man and I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying, "You shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age." And then with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot.
I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine. He then went to his wife and spoke with her and appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough and I approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight and as I got near him I said, "Looks like you're having a problem."
He smiled sheepishly and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me. Looking around I saw a gas station up the road and told the old man that I would be right back. I drove to the station and went inside and saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them and related the problem the old man had with his car and offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.
The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine) I spoke with the old gentleman.
When I shook hands with him earlier he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, "What outfit did you serve with?"
He had mentioned that he served with the first Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal. He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me and I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card.
He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it and I stuck it in my pocket. We all shook hands all round again and I said my goodbye's to his wife.
I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the station I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me. One of them pulled out a card from his pocket looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then, that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off.
For some reason I had gone about two blocks when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name........ "Congressional Medal of Honor Society."
I sat there motionless looking at the card and reading it over and over. I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together, because one of us needed help. He was an old man all right, but it felt good to have stood next to greatness and courage and an honor to have been in his presence.
God Bless America, our Veterans and Troops.
