Wednesday Hero 01/07/2009

Airman Melissa Pyle


Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) Airman Melissa Pyle mans a jet blast deflector station on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in the Gulf Of Oman. Theodore Roosevelt and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

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.

Keeping Watch

A soldier with the US Army's 6-4 Cavalry watches the hills surrounding Combat Outpost Lowell in eastern Afghanistan January 6, 2009.

In Their Boots

In Their Boots is a compelling new magazine show about the dramatic impact the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are having on us - the people here at home. The show will feature our Iraq and Afghanistan service men and women, and their families, in stories that have universal appeal.
Funded by a grant from the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact fund (IADIF) and produced by Brave New Foundation, IN THEIR BOOTS will be streamed exclusively online.

In Their Boots will be hosted by Jan Bender, a veteran of the war in Iraq who served as a rifleman/combat correspondent in Iraq with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines from 2004 to 2005.

Every week an episode will be built around a dramatic and emotional IN THEIR BOOTS "Real Story," a non-fiction narrative about how our servicepeople, their families, and their communities have been profoundly changed by the nation's campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then Jan Bender, our host, will interview the participants and lead a discussion that includes experts and service-providers.

Voting Begins on January 5th!

Please take a few moments and cast your vote for the2008 Best Military Blog. If you are not familiar with MilBlogging.com I promise you a fantastic blogging adventure!

The Weblog Awards are the world's largest blog competition with over 545,000 votes cast in 2007 edition and nearly two million votes cast in all editions since 2003. Polls close Tuesday January 13, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. (EST) and 2:00 p.m. (PST).

MilBlogging.com has introduced me to many excellent blogs! Some are written by family members, others by servicemen and women. You can choose by Military Branch, they also offer the option of Iran or Afghanistan Frontlines. The site is extremely user-friendly, which makes each visit productive! Believe it or not, I hold no stock-options...I'm simply a very satisfied user!

I do encourage you to visit MilBlogging.com, for there are so many excellent military blogs out there to be read. Each of our Airman, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines have a story...how fortunate we are to have access to their words!

May Almighty God bless each one of these brave men and women.

The Mind of a Soldier

A couple of indirect thanks are needed for this post.

First of all, MudPuppy, my first "adopted" SoldierSon. As I have mentioned numerous times, I have followed his blog, since I first discovered the blogosphere. He not only is a talented writer... he is a good soldier, he is an outstanding man, he is a son any mother would be blessed to call her own. I lift prayers constantly for Mudpuppy and his mom. In a recent post, MudPuppy spoke of how 'different' it is to phone home. I could not comment, although I wanted to... I simply needed to read and absorb. Hopefully, you will take the time to read MudPuppy's words, those are the words which truly matter.

Now, to Jormengrund who e-mailed an attachment of a video which he felt I could use on my blog. As it turns out, the link he sent held a glitch... following a few e-mails back and forth, I learned the video he suggested, was one I used in the past. Please revisit August, 2008 25 Million Hits. In the process of trying to find what I thought he sent me, I found the following... (I feel so confused, how about you?)

So...now that I have taken you over the river and through the woods... we finally arrive at a video which I feel is a "Must-Share". Please pause my playlist on the right sidebar and enjoy!

May Almighty God Bess each and every Airman, Soldier, Sailor and Marine.,,and the families who love them so.

His Star Has Turned From Blue to Gold

DOD identifies GI killed by bomb in Baghdad

Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, January 2, 2009

The Defense Department on Tuesday identified a Baumholder, Germany-based soldier killed by a roadside bomb on Sunday in Baghdad’s Sadr City.

Spc. Tony J. Gonzales was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team’s 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment. He was 20.

Gonzales is the son of Tony and Marlynn Gonzales of Newman, Calif. Family members who spoke with the Modesto Bee newspaper spoke of Gonzales’ patriotism.

"T.J. was always very patriotic and proud of his country. He knew he was going to go to Iraq, but that was OK," his sister Tammy Runzel was quoted as saying. "He was not there regretting it. He knew he was going there from the start, and it was part of his job."

Gonzales enlisted in the Army in 2006 after graduating from Freedom High School in Turlock, Calif., according to the news report. He planned to follow in his father’s footsteps, first into the military and then into a law enforcement career.

Patriotism and duty were among the traits instilled in Gonzales, his father said.

"If you live here, it is your duty to serve your country," his father said. "That is why I went in, and is what my thoughts always were."

He deployed to Iraq on April 6, his 20th birthday. Gonzales had trained as a tank driver, his family said, but spent most of his time in Iraq on foot patrol.

The City of Newman will fly its flags at half-staff in honor of Gonzales until after his funeral services, said Mayor Ed Katen, a friend of the family. Flags at the state Capitol in Sacramento will also be flown at half-staff in his honor, according to news reports.

Memorial services in the Baumholder military community have not yet been announced.

Happy New Year 2009

Ring Out, Wild Bells

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

- Alfred Lord Tennyson