I'M PROUD TO BE A VETERAN!

  

Thank you, 

Bruce for sharing

 

 

 

TO UNDERSTAND A MILITARY VETERAN, YOU MUST KNOW - 

 

We left home as teenagers or in our early twenties for an unknown adventure.

 

We loved our country enough to defend it and protect it with our own lives.

 

We said goodbye to friends and family and everything we knew.

 

We learned the basics and then we scattered in the wind to the far corners of the Earth.

 

We found new friends and new family.

 

We became brothers and sisters regardless of color, race or creed.

 

We had plenty of good times, and plenty of bad times.

 

We didn't get enough sleep.

 

We smoked and drank too much.

 

We picked up both good and bad habits.

 

We worked hard and played harder.

 

We didn't earn a great wage.

 

We experienced the happiness of mail call and the sadness of missing important events.

 

We didn't know when, or even if, we were ever going to see home again.

 

We grew up fast, and yet somehow, we never grew up at all.

 

We fought for our freedom, as well as the freedom of others.

 

Some of us saw actual combat, and some of us didn't.

 

Some of us saw the world, and some of us didn't.

 

Some of us dealt with physical warfare, most of us dealt with psychological warfare.

 

We have seen and experienced and dealt with things that we can't fully describe or explain, as not all of our sacrifices were physical.

 

We participated in time honored ceremonies and rituals with each other, strengthening our bonds and camaraderie.

 

We counted on each other to get our job done and sometimes to survive it at all.

 

We have dealt with victory and tragedy.

 

We have celebrated and mourned.

 

We lost a few along the way.

 

When our adventure was over, some of us went back home, some of us started somewhere new and some of us never came home at all.

 

We have told amazing and hilarious stories of our exploits and adventures.

 

We share an unspoken bond with each other, that most people don't experience, and few will understand.

 

We speak highly of our own branch of service, and poke fun at the other branches.

 

We know however, that, if needed, we will be there for our brothers and sisters and stand together as one, in a heartbeat.

 

Being a Veteran is something that had to be earned, and it can never be taken away.

 

It has no monetary value, but at the same time it is a priceless gift.

 

People see a Veteran and they thank them for their service.

 

When we see each other, we give that little upwards head nod, or a slight smile, knowing that we have shared and experienced things that most people have not.

 

So, from myself to the rest of the veterans out there, I commend and thank you for all that you have done and sacrificed for our country.

 

Try to remember the good times and make peace with the bad times.

 

Share your stories.

 

But most importantly, stand tall and proud, for you have earned the right to be called a VETERAN.

 

I'M PROUD TO BE A VETERAN!

 

Please share with all your Veterans and friends.

 

ARMED FORCES DAY 2016

Today we celebrate and honor all men and women on active duty in  our Armed Forces. We also thank their families and love ones who support them. 

Thank you!

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days.

The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense.

(Source: Defense.gov)

In the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. It falls near the end of Armed Forces Week, which begins on the second Saturday of May and ends on the third Sunday of May.

First observed on 20 May 1950, the day was created on 31 August 1949, to honor Americans serving in the five U.S. military branches – the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard – following the consolidation of the military services in the U.S. Department of Defense. It was intended to replace the separate Army-, Navy-, Air Force-, Marine Corps- and Coast Guard Days, but the separate days are still observed, especially within the respective services.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions and air shows. The United States' longest continuously running Armed Forces Day Parade is held in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 2016, Chattanooga celebrated the 67th year of the Armed Forces Day Parade.

Because of their unique training schedules, National Guard and Reserve units may celebrate Armed Forces Day/Week over any period in the month of May.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Interesting U.S. Military Facts:

1. Thirty American presidents served in the U.S. Army, 24 during time of war. Of  the 30, two became 5-star generals – George  Washington and Dwight  Eisenhower. Teddy Roosevelt was awarded the Medal of Honor. -- military.com

2.  1,760 PlayStation 3s were used  to build a supercomputer for the Department of Defense. -- escapistmagazine.com

3. There are 1.8 million people on active duty, according to the Department of Defense. -- DOD

4. The Department of Defense owns 29,819,492 acres of land worldwide. -- DOD

5. The United States has 737 military installations overseas. -- DOD

6. According to Military.com, the Navy’s bell-bottom trousers are believed to have been introduced in 1817 to permit men to roll them above the knee when washing down the decks. In addition, the trousers can be used as a life preserver if  you knot the legs.

7.  The Marine Corps motto is "Semper Fidelis,” Latin for “Always Faithful.”

8. The last time the United States "declared war" was in 1942. -- Wikipedia

9. The U.S. Department of Defense is the world's largest employer. -- DOD

10. The Department of Defense uses 4,600,000,000 US gallons of fuel annually -- DOD

11. Stores on U.S. military bases outside of America will not accept pennies as currency. It’s too expensive to ship them there and back. -- Los  Angeles Times

12. The U.S. military uses a nearly silent type of Velcro which reduces the ripping noise by over 95 percent. -- Reddit

13. A service member in a designated combat zone or hazardous duty area, generally does not have to pay federal income tax on the military pay and reimbursements during his or her service there.   -- Internal Revenue

14. In 1949, a U.S. Army Private First Class – known to the payroll department as an “E-3”  -- took home a monthly check of $99.55 in “basic pay.” That $99.55 came after he had been in the service for 2 years and had no dependents.

(Source: AJC.COM)

National Military Appreciation Month

By Terry Orr

USN Retired

National Military Appreciation Month started as a simple idea; to gather America around its military family to honor, remember, recognize and appreciate those who have served and those now serving and to know the history behind it all. Subsequent formal legislation informs our service-members that their country has set aside an entire month to honor, remember and appreciate them. (Source: http://www.military.com/military-appreciation-month)

From the National Military Appreciation Month website www.nmam.org

Top Ten Ways to Support Our Military and Veterans!

1. Check out our Events Page for ideas on how to organize an event in your community (http://www.nmam.org/events.htm)
2. Fly the flag on your house, car, and/or business during May
3. Send a Care Package to a soldier through USOCARES (https://www.uso.org/OUCP-donation-page-with-partner.aspx?LangType=1033)
4. Ask your elected officials at all levels to recognize our Military
5. Adopt a Hero at Soldiers’ Angels (http://www.soldiersangels.org)
6. Encourage Libraries, Schools, and Organizations to participate in recognizing our Armed Forces
7. Ask Local Media (TV, Radio, Newspaper) to Feature NMAM
8. When you see a person in a military uniform, shake their hands and say: “Thank you for serving our Country”
9. Encourage Schools to Study American Military History during May
10. Hire a Veteran

Didn't know this about 9-11

AFTER FLIGHT 77 HIT THE PENTAGON ON 9/11, THE FOLLOWING HAPPENED

A chaplain, who happened to be assigned to the Pentagon, told of an incident that happened right after Flight 77 hit the Pentagon on 9/11. A daycare facility inside the Pentagon had many children, including infants who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could do. There were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants that would need to be taken out with the cribs. There was no time to try to bundle them into carriers and strollers. Just then a young Marine came running into the center and asked what they needed.  After hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back out into the hallway and disappeared. The director thought, "Well, here we are, on our own." About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 other Marines in tow. Each of them grabbed a crib with a child, and the rest started gathering up toddlers. The director and her staff then helped them take all the children out of the center and down toward the park near the Potomac. Once they got about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and then did a fabulous thing - they formed a circle with the cribs, which were quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the Old West. Inside this circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off. Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the children and waiting for instructions.

There they remained until the parents could be notified and come get their children. The chaplain then said, "I don't think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It was an incredible story of our men there.” There wasn't a dry eye in the room. The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted; could we expect any less from them? It was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon.

It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag. If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the military, please pass this on and pray for our men and women, who have served and are currently serving our country, and pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.