Hmmmmmmmm?? . . . I hardly know where to start!! As we all know our Military troops are fighting so we can live without fear of terrorist attacks or any type of Chemical Warfare!! As a PROUD AMERICAN I will stand behind our men and women of the military!! I believe they are fighting for a worthy cause!! They are putting their lives on the line for what they believe in and for their COUNTRY and FAMILIES!!! What I've done here, is tried to add poems or stories that'll make ya think!! Whether you are pro or anti-war!! We are in this to the very end!! Please??. . .Support our troops in any way possible!! Adopt a Soldier!! Send emails or give to the Red Cross and show support here in America!! So our troops will *KNOW* we support them 110%!! I'd also like to extend my sympathies to those Families and Friends who has lost loved one in this battle!! My heart goes out to you all!! MAY GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!! AND AMERICA!!!

My Father . . . 1st Lt Burrill W. Peterson served proudly from 1940-1948 My Father would *NEVER* talk about his war days in World War 2!! It was too painful for him!! He saw alot of death and dying . . . most of it was his buddies or the men in his platoon and also when he was a Medic!! My Father was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army!! He was also a Prisoner Of War in Germany for about 2 months!! Which ended when he was liberated by the Russians!! I'd love to be able to discuss his war days, but he passed on in 1979 at the age of 56 never to tell any of my family his story!! It still hurts me, cuz the War memories turned my father into an alcoholic and at times a very angry man!! He drank to forget his demons who haunted him at his every waking moment!! I also still miss him!! He went through alot and in my eyes he'll always be a hero!! He fought for his country with pride and honor!! My Father was very proud to be an American!! and he instilled that honor with my siblings and myself!! I LOVE YOU DAD!! YOU'VE PROUDLY DONE YOUR DUTY!!! MAY YOU ALWAYS REST IN PEACE !!!!!

I AM THE FLAG OF THE

OF AMERICA!!!

I am the flag of the United States of America!!
My name is Old Glory!!
I fly atop the world's tallest buildings!!
I stand watch in America's halls of justice!!
I fly majestically over institutions of learning!!
I stand guard with power in the world!!
Look up and see me!!



I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice!!
I stand for freedom!!
I am confident!! I am arrogant!! I am proud!!



When I am flown with my fellow banners,
My head is a little higher,
My colors a little truer!!



I bow to no one!!
I am recognized all over the world!!
I am worshipped - I am saluted!!
I am loved - I am revered!!
I am respected - and I am feared!!



I have fought in every battle of every war
for more then 200 years!!



I was flown at Valley Forge,
Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appamatox!!
I was there at San Juan Hill,
the trenches of France,
in the Argonne Forest,
Anzio, Rome and the beaches of Normandy!!



Guam, Okinawa, Korea and KheSan,
Saigon, Vietnam know me!!
I was there!!
I led my troops, I was dirty, battleworn and tired,
But my soldiers cheered me and I was proud!!



I have been burned, torn and trampled on the
streets of countries I have helped set free!!
It does not hurt for I am invincible!!
I have been soiled upon, burned, torn and
trampled in the streets of my country!!
And when it's done by those
Whom I've served in battle - it hurts!!
But I shall overcome - for I am strong!!



I have slipped the bonds of Earth
and stood watch over the uncharted
frontiers of space from my vantage point on the moon!!
I have borne silent witness to all of America's finest hours!!



But my finest hours are yet to come!!
When I am torn into strips and used as bandages
for my wounded comrades on the battlefield,
When I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier,
Or when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent
at the grave of their fallen son or daughter!!

I AM PROUD!!!!

~UNKNOWN~

Please pass my message to all who still love
and respect me that I may fly proudly
for another two hundred years!!

AN URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!

This is a Prayer request for a man in urgent need of Prayer!!
I'm asking you *TODAY*,
please take a moment and pray for this man!!
He is in a situation that few people find themselves in!!
He is criticized by many people at every turn,
and few people have taken the time to thank him
for the things that he has done for them!!
A lot of people know this man,
but few people know the extent of his situation!!
We're quick to criticize when we've never walked in their shoes,
and we're slow to pray that God will show them which way to go!!
So I'm asking you to stop at some time *TODAY*,
and pray for this man!!
He needs our urgent prayers that God can give him
the guidance he needs to get through this situation!!
This man hasn't asked me to do this,
but I feel led to do so
and I'm sure that he appreciates all your prayers!!
I have attached a photo of this man
. . . . look at it. . . . some of you may recognize him!!
PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM!!!
Feel free to pass this to anyone else that will pray for him!!
Trust me, if you were facing what he is facing,
you'd want people praying for you,too!!!!

~UNKNOWN ~

SOME GAVE ALL. . .

All of us together
To fight for liberty
Walking in the steps of
The glory that will be!!

Every branch of service
Each woman and each man
Leaves a mighty footprint
Upon a foreign land!!

I pray that God protects them
Keeps them in His care
In every land they travel
Our hearts will all be there!!

The Army and the Navy
Special Forces too
Marines and Air force bravely
Defend our home for you!!

So bow your heads in honor
When Eagle spreads his wings
In glory of this nation
For Freedom they will bring!!

Praise be to the forces
You join this big brigade
All friends and every nation
With friendships we have made!!

Keep you light upon them
So the eagle flies once more
Without a tear to fall down
On skies, the land or shores!!

Eagle now has landed
With song of our anthem
The gift of God's creation
That glorifies free-man!!

~ By Francine Pucillo ~

IN YOUR HONOR!!!

Unselfishly, you left your fathers and your mothers,
You left behind your sisters and your brothers!!
Leaving your beloved children and wives,
You put on hold, your dreams your lives!!

On foreign soil, you found yourself planted
To fight for those whose freedom you granted!!
Without your sacrifice, their cause would be lost
But you carried onward, no matter the cost!!

Many horrors you had endured and seen!!
Many faces had haunted your dreams!!
You cheered as your enemies littered the ground;
You cried as your brothers fell all around!!

When it was over, you all came back home!!
Some were left with memories to face all alone!!
Some found themselves in the company of friends!!
As their crosses cast shadows across the land!!

Those who survived were forever scarred!!
Emotionally, physically, permanently marred!!
Those who did not now sleep eternally!!
Neath the ground they had given their lives to keep free!!

With a hand upon my heart, I feel!!
The pride and respect; my reverence is revealed!!
In the tears that now stream down my upturned face!!
As our flag waves above you, in her glory and grace!!
Freedom was the gift that you unselfishly gave!!
Pain and death was the price that you ultimately paid!!
Every day, I give my utmost admiration!!
To those who had fought to defend our nation!!

~ Unknown ~

LET MOTHERS TAKE CARE OF SADDAM!!

Have you noticed anything fishy about
the inspection teams who have arrived in Iraq??
They're all MEN!!!

How in the name of the United Nations
does anyone expect men to find Saddam's stash???
We all know that men have a blind spot
when it comes to finding things!!
For crying' out loud!!!
Men can't find the dirty clothes hamper!!
Men can't find the jar of jelly
until it falls out of the cupboard
and splatters on the floor . . . .
and these are the people we have sent into
Iraq to search for hidden weapons of mass destruction??

I keep wondering why groups of mothers weren't sent in!!

Mothers can sniff out secrets quicker than a drug dog can find a gram of
dope!!
Mothers can find gin bottles that dads have stashed in the attic
beneath the rafters!!
They can sniff out a diary two rooms and one floor away!!
They can tell when the lid of a cookie jar has been disturbed and
notice when a quarter inch slice has been shaved off a chocolate cake!!
A mother can smell alcohol on your breath before you get your key in the front
door and can smell cigarette smoke from a block away. By examining laundry,
a mother knows more about their kids than Sherlock Holmes. And if a mother
wants an answer to question, she can read an offender's eyes quicker than a
homicide detective!!

So. . . considering the value a mother could bring to an inspection team,
why are we sending a bunch of men who will rely on electronic equipment to scout
out hidden threats???

My mother would walk in with a wooden soup spoon in one hand, grab Saddam by
the ear, give it a good twist and snap, "Young man, do you have any weapons
of mass destruction??" And if he tried to lie to her, she'd march him down
the street to some secret bunker and shove his nose into a nuclear bomb and
say, "Uh, huh, and what do you call this, mister??" Whap!!! Thump!!! Whap!!!
Whap!!! Whap!!! And she'd lay some stripes across his bottom with that soup
spoon, then march him home in front of the whole of Baghdad!! He'd not only
come clean and apologize for lying about it, he'd cut every lawn in Baghdad
for free for the entire summer!!

Inspectors??? You want the job done??? Call a MOTHER!!!!

~ UNKNOWN ~

OUR UNITED STATES FLAG!!

A protest raged on a courthouse lawn,
round a makeshift stage they charged on!!
Fifteen hundred or more they say,
had come to burn the Flag that day!!

A boy held up the folded Flag,
cursed it and called it a dirty rag!!
A man pushed through the angry crowd,
with an old gun shouldered proud!!

His uniform jacket was old and tight,
he had polished each button, shiny and bright!!
He crossed the stage with military grace,
until he and the boy stood face to face!!

Then the old man broke the silence!!!

"Freedom of speech, is worth dying for,
Good men are gone, they live no more!!
All so you can stand on this
courthouse lawn,
and ramble on from dusk to dawn!!"

"But before the Flag gets burned today,
this old veteran is going to have his say!!"

"My father died on a foreign shore,
in a war they said would end all wars!!
Tommy and I weren't even full grown,
before we fought in a war of our own!!
Tommy died on Iwo Jima's beach,
in the shadow of a hill he couldn't reach!!"

"Where five good men raised this Flag so high,
that the whole world could see it fly!!

I got this bum leg that I still drag,
fighting for this same old Flag!!"

"Here's but one shot in this old gun,
so now it's time to decide which one!!

Which one of you will follow our lead,
to stand and die for what you believe??"

The boy who had called it a dirty rag,
handed the veteran the folded Flag!!

The crowd got quiet as they walked away,
to talk about what they heard that day!!

So the battle for the Flag this day was won,
by a loyal veteran with a single gun!!
Who for one last time, had to show to some,
That these colors will never, never run!!

It is the Soldier, not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion!!

It is the Soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press!!

It is the Soldier, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech!!

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble!!

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial!!

It is the Soldier, not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote!!

It is the Soldier, who salutes the Flag,
who serves under the Flag,
whose coffin is draped by the Flag!!!

~UNKNOWN ~

This story is very long!!
BUT??. . .BUT?? . . . Worth your time to read it!!
So please???. . .
Take the time to read it all of the way through!!
It'll really make ya think!!
I just thank GOD these so called
Anti-War Hollywood Stars don't run our government!!
We'd be in *BIG* trouble!!

HOLLYWOOD VERSUS OUR LEADERS!!
WHO'S SMARTER???

The Hollywood group is at it again!! Holding anti-war rallies, screaming
about the Bush Administration, running ads in major newspapers, defaming the
President and his Cabinet every chance they get, to anyone and everyone who
will listen. They publicly defile them and call them names like "stupid",
"morons" and "idiots". Jessica Lange went so far as to tell a crowd in
Spain that she hates President Bush and is embarrassed to be an American!!

So, just how ignorant are these people who are running the country??
Let's look at the biographies of these "stupid", "ignorant", "moronic" leaders,
and then at the celebrities who are castigating them. . . .

President George W. Bush: Received a Bachelors Degree from Yale University
and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as an F-102 pilot for the
Texas Air National Guard. He began his career in the oil and gas business in
Midland in 1975 and worked in the energy industry until 1986. He was elected
Governor on November 8, 1994, with 53.5 percent of the vote. In a historic
re-election victory, he became the first Texas Governor to be elected to
consecutive four-year terms on November 3, 1998, winning 68.6 percent of the
vote. In 1998 Governor Bush won 49 percent of the Hispanic vote, 27 percent
of the African-American vote, 27 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of
women. He won more Texas counties, 240 of 254, than any modern Republican
other than Richard Nixon in 1972 and is the first Republican gubernatorial
candidate to win the heavily Hispanic and Democratic border counties of El
Paso, Cameron and Hidalgo. (Someone began circulating a false story about
his I.Q. being lower than any other President. If you believed it, you might
want to go to URBANLEGENDS.COM and see the truth.)

Vice President Dick Cheney: Earned a B.A. in 1965 and a M.A. in 1966, both
in political science. Two years later, he won an American Political Science
Association congressional fellowship. One of Vice President Cheney's primary
duties is to share with individuals, members of Congress and foreign
leaders, President Bush's vision to strengthen our economy, secure our
homeland and win the War on Terrorism. In his official role as President of
the Senate, Vice President Cheney regularly goes to Capital Hill to meet
with Senators and members of the House of Representatives to work on the
Administration's legislative goals. In his travels as Vice President, he has
seen first hand the great demands the war on terrorism is placing on the men
and women of our military, and he is proud of the tremendous job they are
doing for the United States of America!!

Secretary of State Colin Powell: Educated in the New York City public
schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where he
earned a Bachelor's Degree in geology. He also participated in ROTC at CCNY
and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in
June 1958. His further academic achievements include a Master of Business
Administration Degree from George Washington University. Secretary Powell is
the recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and decorations.
Secretary Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of
Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the
Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy
Distinguished Service Medal. Several schools and other institutions have
been named in his honor and he holds honorary degrees from universities and
colleges across the country. (Note: He retired as Four Star General in the
United States Army)

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld: Attended Princeton University on
Scholarship (AB, 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as a Naval
aviator; Congressional Assistant to Rep. Robert Griffin (R-MI), 1957-59;
U.S. Representative, Illinois, 1962-69; Assistant to the President, Director
of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Director of the Cost of Living
Council, 1969-74; U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 1973-74; head of Presidential
Transition Team, 1974; Assistant to the President, Director of White House
Office of Operations, White House Chief of Staff, 1974-77; Secretary of Defense, 1975-77!!

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge: Raised in a working class family
in veterans' public housing in Erie. He earned a scholarship to Harvard,
graduating with honors in 1967. After his first year at The Dickinson School
of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as an infantry
staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for Valor. After
returning to Pennsylvania, he earned his Law Degree and was in private
practice before becoming Assistant District Attorney in Erie County. He was
elected to Congress in 1982. He was the first enlisted Vietnam combat
veteran elected to the U.S. House, and was overwhelmingly re-elected six times!!

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice: Earned her Bachelor's Degree in
Political Science, Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of
Denver in 1974; her Master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975;
and her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the
University of Denver in 1981. (Note: Rice enrolled at the University of
Denver at the age of 15, graduating at 19 with a Bachelor's Degree in
Political Science (Cum Laude). She earned a Master's Degree at the
University of Notre Dame and a Doctorate from the University of Denver's
Graduate School of International Studies. Both of her advanced degrees are
also in Political Science.) She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Morehouse College
in 1991, the University of Alabama in 1994, and the University of Notre Dame
in 1995. At Stanford, she has been a member of the Center for International
Security and Arms Control, a Senior Fellow of the Institute for
International Studies, and a Fellow (by courtesy) of the Hoover Institution.
Her books include Germany Unified and Europe Transformed (1995) with Philip
Zelikow, The Gorbachev Era (1986) with Alexander Dallin, and Uncertain
Allegiance: The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army (1984). She also has
written numerous articles on Soviet and East European foreign and defense
policy, and has addressed audiences in settings ranging from the U.S.
Ambassador's Residence in Moscow to the Commonwealth Club to the 1992 and
2000 Republican National Conventions. From 1989 through March 1991, the
period of German reunification and the final days of the Soviet Union, she
served in the Bush Administration as Director, and then Senior Director, of
Soviet and East European Affairs in the National Security Council, and a
Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. In 1986,
while an international affairs fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations,
she served as Special Assistant to the Director of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff. In 1997, she served on the Federal Advisory Committee on Gender
-- Integrated Training in the Military. She was a member of the boards of
directors for the Chevron Corporation, the Charles Schwab Corporation, the
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, the
International Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan and the San Francisco Symphony
Board of Governors. She was a Founding Board member of the Center for a New
Generation, an educational support fund for schools in East Palo Alto and
East Menlo Park, California and was Vice President of the Boys and Girls
Club of the Peninsula. In addition, her past board service has encompassed
such organizations as Transamerica Corporation, Hewlett Packard, the
Carnegie Corporation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Rand
Corporation, the National Council for Soviet and East European Studies, the
Mid-Peninsula Urban Coalition and KQED, public broadcasting for San
Francisco. Born November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama, she resides in Washington, D.C.

So who are these celebrities? What is their education? What is their
experience in affairs of State or in National Security? While I will defend
to the death their right to express their opinions, I think that if they are
going to call into question the intelligence of our leaders, we should also
have all the facts on their educations and background. . . .

Barbra Streisand : Completed high school!!
Career: Singing and acting!!

Cher: Dropped out of school in 9th grade!!
Career: Singing and acting!!

Martin Sheen: Flunked exam to enter University of Dayton!!
Career: Acting!!

Jessica Lange: Dropped out college mid-freshman year!!
Career: Acting!!

Alec Baldwin: Dropped out of George Washington U. after scandal!!
Career: Acting!!

Julia Roberts: Completed high school!!
Career: Acting!!

Sean Penn: Completed High school!!
Career: Acting!!

Susan Sarandon: Degree in Drama from
Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.!!
Career: Acting!!

Ed Asner; Completed High school!!
Career: Acting!!

George Clooney: Dropped out of University of Kentucky!!
Career: Acting!!

Michael Moore: Dropped out first year University of Michigan!!
Career: Movie Director!!

Sarah Jessica Parker: Completed High School!!
Career: Acting!!

Jennifer Anniston: Completed High School!!
Career: Acting!!

Mike Farrell: Completed High school!!
Career: Acting!!

Janeane Garofelo: Dropped out of College!!
Career: Stand up comedienne!!

Larry Hagman: Attended Bard College for one year!!
Career: Acting!!

While comparing the education and experience of these two groups, we should
also remember that President Bush and his cabinet are briefed daily, even
hourly, on the War on Terror and threats to our security. They are privy to
information gathered around the world concerning the Middle East, the
threats to America, the intentions of terrorists and terrorist-supporting
governments. They are in constant communication with the CIA, the FBI,
Interpol, NATO, The United Nations, our own military, and that of our allies
around the world. We cannot simply believe that we have full knowledge of
the threats because we watch CNN!! We cannot believe that we are in any way
as informed as our leaders!!

These celebrities have no intelligence-gathering agents, no fact-finding
groups, no insight into the minds of those who would destroy our country.
They only have a deep seated hatred for all things Republican. By nature,
and no one knows quite why, the Hollywood elitists detest Conservative views
and anything that supports or uplifts the United States of America. The
silence was deafening from the Left when Bill Clinton bombed a
pharmaceutical factory outside of Khartoum, or when he attacked the Bosnian
Serbs in 1995 and 1999. He bombed Serbia itself to get Slobodan Milosevic
out of Kosovo, and not a single peace rally was held. When our Rangers were
ambushed in Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep was
heard from Hollywood. Yet now, after our nation has been attacked on its own
soil, after 3,000 Americans were killed, by freedom-hating terrorists, while

Why the change???
Because an honest, God-fearing Republican sits in the White House!!

Another irony is that in 1987, when Ronald Reagan was in office, the
Hollywood group aligned themselves with disarmament groups like SANE, FREEZE
and PEACE ACTION, urging our own government to disarm and freeze the
manufacturing of any further nuclear weapons, in order to promote world
peace. It is curious that now, even after we have heard all the evidence
that Saddam Hussein has chemical, biological and is very close to obtaining
nuclear weapons, their is no cry from this group for HIM to disarm. They
believe we should leave him alone in his quest for these weapons of mass
destruction, even though it is certain that these deadly weapons will
eventually be used against us in our own cities!!

So why the hype out of Hollywood? Could these celebrities believe that since
they draw such astronomical salaries, they are entitled to also determine
the course of our Nation? That they can make viable decisions concerning war
and peace? Did Michael Moore have the backing of the Nation when he recently
thanked France, on our behalf, for being a "good enough friend to tell us we
were wrong"? I know for certain he was not speaking for me. Does Sean Penn
fancy himself a Diplomat, in going to Iraq when we are just weeks away from
war? Does he believe that his High School Diploma gives him the knowledge
(and the right) to go to a country that is controlled by a maniacal
dictator, and speak on behalf of the American people? Or is it the fact
that he pulls in more money per year than the average American worker will
see in a lifetime? Does his bank account give him clout???

The ultimate irony is that many of these celebrities have made a shambles of
their own lives, with drug abuse, alcoholism, numerous marriages and
divorces, scrapes with the law, publicized temper tantrums, etc. How dare
they pretend to know what is best for an entire nation! What is even more
bizarre is how many people in this country will listen and accept their
views, simply because they liked them in a certain movie, or have fond
memories of an old television sitcom!!!

It is time for us, as citizens of the United States, to educate ourselves
about the world around us. If future generations are going to enjoy the
freedoms that our forefathers bequeathed us, if they are ever to know peace
in their own country and their world, to live without fear of terrorism
striking in their own cities, we must assure that this nation remains
strong. We must make certain that those who would destroy us are made aware
of the severe consequences that will befall them!!

Yes, it is a wonderful dream to sit down with dictators and terrorists and
join hands, singing Cumbaya and talking of world peace. But it is not real.
We did not stop Adolf Hitler from taking over the entire continent of Europe
by simply talking to him. We sent our best and brightest, with the strength
and determination that this Country is known for, and defeated the Nazi
regime. President John F. Kennedy did not stop the Soviet ships from
unloading their nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962 with mere words. He stopped
them with action, and threat of immediate war if the ships did not turn
around. We did not end the Cold War with conferences. It ended with the
strong belief of President Ronald Reagan...PEACE through STRENGTH!!

I am a small and precious child,
my dad's been sent to fight.....
The only place I'll see his face,
is in my dreams at night!!
He will be gone too many days
For my young mind to keep track!!
I may be sad, but I am proud!!
My daddy's got your back!!

I am a caring mother!!
My son has gone to war.....
My mind is filled with worries
that I have never known before!!
Everyday I try to keep
my thoughts from turning black!!
I may be scared, but I am proud!!
My son has got your back!!

I am a strong and loving wife,
with a husband soon to go...
There are times I'm terrified
in a way most never know!!
I bite my lip, and force a smile
as I watch my husband pack...
My heart may break, but I am proud!!
My husbands got your back!!

I am a soldier. . .
Serving proudly, standing tall!!
I fight for freedom, yours and mine,
by answering this call!!
I do my job while knowing
the thanks will sometimes lack!!
Say a prayer that I'll come home!!
It's me who's got your back!!

To any who would protest the war in Iraq,
I say follow your own conscience!!
But in doing so I would urge all of you,
as American citizens to back up and stand by all of our
people who are already over there,
preparing to give theirlives for us and our way of life!!
Let's not have another Vietnam and all the callous hatred
that our people had to come home to face!!

Please share this to everyone you know,
regardless of how you feel about Iraq!!

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!!
THEY DESERVE EVERYTHING WE CAN GIVE THEM!!!!!

~ UNKNOWN ~

POWELL QUOTE!!

When in England at a fairly large conference,
Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury
if our plans for Iraq were just an example
of empire building by George Bush!!

He answered by saying that,
"Over the years, the United States has sent many
of its fine young men and women
into great peril to fight for freedom
beyond our borders!!
The only amount of land we have ever asked for
in return is enough to bury those that did not return!!!"

It became very quiet in the room!!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!

Dear Mom,

It's really your decision to march if you want to or not!!
You are the one who has to decide if
what we are doing out here is right or not!!
My opinion is not yours!!

I do, however, have things I would like for you and Grandma
and everyone else at home to know!!

I am a United States soldier!!
I was sworn to defend my country against
all enemies, foreign and domestic!!
People may not agree with the things we are ordered to do!!

I would like to address those people
by telling them that terrorism is not
only a threat to us as Americans,
but to many other innocent people in the world!!

What type of country would we be
if we didn't defend the rights and
freedoms of others, not because they're Americans,
but how about just because they're human??

We live in a country where people
feel secure with their daily lives!!
They do business like usual and
don't worry about the thought of
terrorism actually happening to them!!

The people of 9-11 thought the same thing!!
We now know that it can
happen to anyone at any time!!

Yet as Americans we're afraid of losing
our soldiers to defend our security!!
I can only speak for myself
when I say that my life is an
easy expense to ensurethat my
family and friends can live in peace!!

I strongly believe in what we are doing
and wish you were here to see
for yourselves the honor and privilege
that American soldiers aboard this ship are feeling,
knowing that we are going to be a part
of something so strong and so
meaningful to the safety of our loved ones!!
Then you would know what this potential war is about!!

We will stand tall in front of terrorism and defeat it!!
We as soldiers are not afraid of what may happen!!
We are only afraid of Americans not
being able to understand why we are here!!

I ask for your courage as Americans to be strong for us
I ask for your understanding in what we believe is right!!
I ask for your support in what we are sworn to do. . .
defend our country and the life of all!!

We will succeed in our task and
will end the threat of terrorism in our back yard!!!
We will also end the threat of terrorism in our neighbors!!

We have to remind ourselves of what this country stands for. . .
life, liberty and justice for all!!
In order to maintain those rights we have
to stop the threat of terrorism!

I am proud to be here!!
I will be coming home, but not until I know that
it's going to be safe for all Americans
and for everyone I love!!

My family is first!! My country is where they live!! I will defend it!!

Lonnie J. Lewis
Navy corpsman
C Co. 1/4 WPN PLT
UIC 39726
FPO AP 966139726

P.S. Mom, please send this to everyone who has a hard time
understanding why we are here!!
Ask the paper to put what I've said in a column so
that others will know why we are here and what we are here for!!

I love you all and will be home soon!!
I left my address so that if
anyone feels like writing to let me
know how they feel, they can!!

The Following is an excerpt from a copy of Mrs. Chapman's speech,
which resulted in five standing ovations,
tremendous applause and an encore!!
It's a short read and well worth it!!

STAND UP FOR AMERICA RALLY SPEECH BY: BETH CHAPMAN

I'm here because men and women of the U.S. Military
have given their lives for my freedom!!
I am not here because Sheryl Crowe, Rosie O'Donnell,
Martin Sheen, George Clooney, Jane Fonda or Phil Donahue,
sacrificed their lives for me!!

If my memory serves me correctly,
it was not movie stars or musicians,
but the United States Military who fought on the shores of Iwo Jima,
the jungles of Vietnam, and the beaches of Normandy!!
Tonight, I say we should support the President of the United States
and the US Military and tell the liberal,
tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, and tie-dyed liberals
to go make their movies and music and whine somewhere else!!

After all, if they lived in Iraq,
they wouldn't be allowed the freedom of speech
they're being given here today!!
Ironically, they would be put to death
at the hands of Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden!!
I want to know how the very people who are against war
because of the loss of life,
can possibly be the same people who are for abortion??

They are the same people who are for animal rights
but against the rights of the unborn!!
The movie stars say they want to go to Iraq
and serve as "human shields" for the Iraqis!!
I say let them buy a one-way ticket and go!!

On December 7, 1941, there are no records of movie stars
treading the blazing waters of Pearl Harbor!!

On September 11, 2001. . . there are no photos of movie stars standing as "human shields"
against the debris
and falling bodies ascending from the World Trade Center!!
There were only policemen and fireman,
underpaid civil servants who gave their all
with nothing expected in return!!
When the USS Cole was bombed,
there were no movie stars guarding the ship,
where were the human shields then??

If America's movie stars want to be human shields,
let them shield the gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles, or New York City,
let them shield the lives of the children of North Birmingham
whose mothers lay them down to sleep
on the floor each night to shelter them from stray bullets!!

If they want to be human shields,
I say let them shield the man and women of honesty and integrity
that epitomizes courage and embody the spirit of freedom by wearing the
proud uniforms of the United States Military!!
Those are the people who have earned and deserve shielding!!!!

The average age of the Infantryman is 19 years!!
He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who,
under normal circumstances is considered by
society as half man, half boy!!
Not yet dry behind the ears, not old
enough to buy a beer,
but old enough to die for his country!!
He never really cared much for work and
he would rather wax his own car than wash
his father's,
but he has never collected unemployment either!!

He's a recent High School graduate,
he was probably an average student,
pursued some form of sport activities,
drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either
broke up with him when he left,
or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away!!

He listens to rock and roll or hip hop
or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm
Howitzers!!
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home
because he is working or fighting
from before dawn to well after dusk!!

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him,
but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds
and reassemble it in less-in the dark!!
He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade
launcher and use either one effectively if he must!!

He digs foxholes and latrines
and can apply first aid like a professional!!
He can march until he is told to stop
or stop until he is told to march!!

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation,
but he is not without spirit or individual dignity!!

He is self-sufficient!! He has two sets of fatigues:
he washes one and wears the other!!
He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry!!
He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth,
but never to clean his rifle!!
He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts!!
If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you, if you are hungry, his food!!
He'll even split his ammunition with you
in the midst of battle when you run low!!
He has learned to use his hands like weapons
and weapons like they were his hands!!
He can save your life. . . or take it,
because that is his job!!

He can still find ironic humor in it all!!
He has wept in public and in private,
for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed!!

He feels every note of the National Anthem
vibrate through his body while at rigid attention,
while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away'
those around him who haven't bothered to stand,
remove their hat, or even stop talking!!
In an odd twist, day in and day out,
far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful!!

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather,
he is paying the price for our freedom!!
Beardless or not, he is not a boy!!
He is the American Fighting Man that has kept
this country free for over 200 years!!
He has asked nothing in return,
except our friendship and understanding!!

Remember him, always, for he has earned
our respect and admiration with his blood!!

~ UNKNOWN ~

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