Staff Sgt. Kara Opperman performs a quality control check Feb. 13 on fuel coming out of a fill stand at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Sergeant Opperman ensures the fuel is safe and meets Air Force specifications before it is used for aircraft and equipment


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.  If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here

Soldier's Response to the Coward Caucus in Congress
Comments from my son | February 17, 2007 | JemiansTerror

The following is a post from Free Republic

My son is currently serving in Iraq, at a post north of Baghdad. He is a gunner with an engineering unit; his main job is watch for bad guys and blast them. The following are comments he made to some friends last night. The episode he discusses was Saturday morning. I thought y'all might be interest in what he had to say about the situation over there. FWIW, his morale is great. You can see he is committed to the mission.

The friggin terrorists tried to hurt our friends today. The attacked some IPs not to far from us, and then when the armor near us responded to the IPs cries for help and came rushing over with some serious firepower, they ran like little girls. My unit saw no action, but we sure heard it. A round flew over us, and so some of the guys who were working with us who dont go out to much took cover. The rest of us just laughed. It was funny. We were behind a hill, and about a kilometer away, so we were pretty safe. A few IPs [Iraqi Police] got hurt, and so prayers go out to those wounded guys. They have to live in this country where thier families could be killed for thier involvement in the Iraqi Police, so I have alot of respect for them.

It really amazes me how the IPs and Iraqi Army persist even though our politicians doubt them back home. I've seen them take terrorists, and detain them. I've seen IA tanks hold the high ground. I dont know why we doubt these guys. They do more of the heavy stuff than we do. They really are stepping up, and though they pay the price (I saw them get hit, they took one KIA, and one more had his guts hanging out) they still fight on. These guys have some serious beliefs in what they can make their country into. I believe in them.

This whole thing going on back home is just not right. We should not run and abandon this country. Saddam needed to be punished. He had ridiculed the world, and had opressed his people. People say that we have brought carnage? We have not done nothing compared to Saddam. He was a killer and did it to his own people. I'm not sorry that we came here, and I'm sure not going to run out on these people. I'm no person to ever do that, and I'll stand by these people here.

One of the translators told me some about the former regime. His brother was killed by Saddam. Every time we talk he says more and more about how much better it is for Iraqis now. The kids smile and wave when they see us pass by. The people here are always nice to us as well. It might be because we carry automatic weapons, but so did Saddam and they sure didnt like him.

My turn at the Tanker Brothers Rolling Victory Fast again.  Read Master Gunner's original post for details here.

Thinking last night about "non binding resolutions"....if it's non binding....then what's the point?  To do damage to the Bush Administration?  To garner support from the "We support the troops but not the Mission" crowd?  To give aid and comfort to the enemy?  I read...and read...and read... trying to understand all of this.  The "strategeries", the politics, the unnamed motives.  Somewhere in the reading last night, I came across a comment.  It was late enough, and I was tired enough that I didn't make note of where I read it.  Could have been at the Victory Caucus.  Whoever it was, thank you...you've had me thinking all day......

The sky seems to have snowed itself out...finally.  I spent my snow day..... in between shoveling.......collecting quotations.  This was my favorite.

"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship."

Emerson

My Iraq

"What are we doing here? That is a question I hear quite often from those who oppose our actions in the Middle East. What are we doing here? We are giving people the opportunity to fight for their freedom. Freedom is not a concept that is given, it is earned. It is the costliest of human aspirations and the one thing most easily squandered. I take the dhimmitude that infects the West today as my “Exhibit A”. Those who have no concept of the cost of freedom are willing to give it away all in the name of a false “peace”. But what is Peace without Freedom?

Peace without Freedom is Slavery. I will never be a slave. If I lose my life in this land, I will have died a Free Man. If those who outlive me surrender in the name of “Peace” because they are too terrified and selfish to sacrifice for the cost of Freedom, they too will die. However, they will die as slaves, or dhimmi, which is the same thing."

These are the words of a soldier deployed in Iraq.  To the "peace crowd, to the Democrats in Congress, to my own foolish Congressman... go to the Tanker Brothers to read the rest.

 http://www.birthdaycelebrations.net/birthdayquotes.htm

http://www.c-boom.com/big0_quotes.htm

http://quotations.home.worldnet.att.net/birthday.html

http://www.quotegarden.com/birthday.html

http://islandireland.com/Pages/folk/sets/toasts.html

http://www.poemsforfree.com/birthpo.html

http://www.worldofquotes.com/search.php

http://dgreetings.com/gift-ideas/birthday-gifts/birthday-toasts.html

http://dgreetings.com/gift-ideas/birthday-gifts/birthday-sayings.html

From MaryAnn at Soldiers' Angels Germany

"It is with great sadness that Soldiers' Angels announces the passing of its dearest and oldest member, Aunt Mary. Mary Irvin Roun was born on April 13, 1905 in Turnersville, NJ and died peacefully in her sleep on February 8,2007.

Mary Jo Stamper, Aunt Mary's great-nice, and the rest of the family had been working on an "Aunt Mary Movie" for her upcoming 102nd birthday party. According to Mary Jo, "we feel it is even more appropriate now to share these pictures/music with all the people that loved her. One of the most endearing characteristics of Aunt Mary was how appreciative she always was, for even the smallest thing you did for her. She loved to say..."wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!" Hence, the music in the video... "


                                              The tide recedes but leaves behind bright seashells in the sand.
The sun goes down but gentle warmth still lingers on the land.
The music stops... and yet it echoes on in sweet refrain...
For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains.

Go here to read the rest and watch the video.

As I said in my 6 weird things post, I still read the newspaper...Cleveland Plain Dealer to be precise.  I came across this yesterday morning...

CARACAS, VENEZUELA

Let them eat chicken feet

Meat cuts vanished from Venezuelan supermarkets this week, leaving only unsavory bits like chicken feet, while costly artificial sweeteners have increasingly replaced sugar, and many staples sell far above government-fixed prices. President Hugo Chavez's administration blames the food supply problems on unscrupulous speculators, but industry officials say government price controls that strangle profits are responsible. Shortages have sporadically appeared among items from milk to coffee since early 2003, when Chavez began regulating prices for 400 basic products as a way to counter inflation and protect the poor. Yet inflation has soared to an accumulated 78 percent in the last four years in an economy awash in petrodollars.

- Associated Press

...it stayed in my mind...right next to the picture of Hillary...saying this.

There is a game of tag going on.  I saw it last  night on Townhall,,, and to my surprise this morning ...I find myself tagged.  Consul at Arms tagged Tanker Brothers and Tracy tagged me...so...

Here are the "Official Rules"
"Each player of this games starts with 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog."

1.  I can't go to sleep without the radio on.

2  Make what you will of it, some of you know how much I hate driving.  I avoid left turns when traffic is heavy.  Sometimes I will go around the block just to get back to a traffic signal.

3.  My Dad drummed into our heads, "clear your work area".  When in school that meant my desk.  Now sometimes I clean the whole house before starting a project.

4.  If someone reads the newspaper before me (yep, we still get the paper) I have to put the sections back in order before I can read it.

5.  This may not be weird...it may horrify some of you....I write in my books...underline...make notes in the margins.

6.  I like writing in longhand.  I often write things down before I type them...even blog posts.  (Which I wish I'd have done with this one since I deleted it once.)

Ok, I tag

SCEagle

Anna

Gawfer

Dave

Deviant Scholar

GunNutt

(Sorry guys, I love ya.  They are all wishing I'd deleted this again)

On May 9th 2004, SFC Lloyd A. Heinrichs Jr was down at the Ocean front in Virginia Beach when a ‘Swimmer in Distress’ call came in to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Dispatch office about noon. Myself (Gary Couch, Dive 8), SFC Heinrichs and Petty Officer First Class Scott Weil of the U.S Navy, volunteered to respond the call. There were a total of 3 people in the water that were being pulled out to sea by the current. The temperature of the water was only around 65 degrees Fahrenheit with the air temperature at 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The undertow was very extreme that day with the beach already “Red Flagged” due to the strong currents and excessive waves.

Upon arrival to the scene, SFC Heinrichs and PO1 Weil identified the victims. Without hesitation and with total disregard for their own safety each grabbed a torpedo buoy and entered the water. SFC Heinrichs went for the first victim to the South of 36th Street while PO1 Weil went for the second and third victims, which were hanging on to each other to the North of 36th Street. As I observed SFC Heinrichs and PO1 Weil, once they were waist deep, the current rapidly pulled them out. SFC Heinrichs made his way to the first victim and started fighting his way back to shore. Once SFC Heinrichs reached his victim, he calmed her down, making the attempt to head back to shore. Several times SFC Heinrichs and his victim were rolled under by the enormous waves and undertow. His victim was completely exhausted from the ordeal. Once he reached shallow water, he assisted his victim to shore. The victim was an older heavy-set lady, early forties. The Virginia Beach Fire Department Paramedics placed the victim on a stretcher and the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad took her to Virginia Beach General Hospital.

SFC Heinrichs was extremely exhausted and fatigued from the rescue. He turned to check on PO1 Weil and notice that PO1 Weil had reached the other two victims, a male in his late twenties and a female in her early forties. PO1 Weil was struggling with his two victims giving a hand and arm signal for ‘Help’. The female was almost passive from near drowning, and the male who had initially swum out to help her was becoming a victim himself. Without hesitation, SFC Heinrichs picked himself up and ran back into the water to assist PO1 Weil while PO1 Weil did what he could to keep them calm and afloat until help arrived.

Once SFC Heinrichs reached PO1 Weil and the other two victims, they were all rolled by several consecutive waves, pinning SFC Heinrichs under the two victims. A few moments later, SFC Heinrichs emerged between the victims with both lanyards of the torpedo buoys wrapped around his neck, gasping for air. As the situation went from bad to worse, PO1 Weil tried his best to help SFC Heinrichs with untangling the lanyards from his neck while trying to hold his passive victim’s head out of the water. SFC Heinrichs took a deep breath and submerged himself in the attempt to free his neck. As each wave came over the top of PO1 Weil and the victims, we kept waiting for him to resurface in bated breath not knowing that the lanyards kept tightening around SFC Heinrichs’ neck. While continuous waves were tossing PO1 Weil and the victims, SFC Heinrichs reemerged on the side of the victims. He had been under for over thirty seconds trying to get loose. We began to worry weather or not he was going to come back up. You could hear the heavy sigh of relief from all the EMS personnel on the beach once he resurfaced. He grabbed a hold of the male victim and started for shore. The victims once, on shore, were taken away for medical attention. PO1 Weil and SFC Heinrichs were taken to an ambulance and checked for possible hypothermia and released.

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.

It Is Foolish And Wrong To Mourn The Men Who Died. Rather We Should Thank God That Such Men Lived.

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll.  If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by clicking here

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By LeAnn