Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Happy New Year!

To all my readers...wishing you the best in the coming year of 2012.

I like to post a New Year's poem the past few years, the one I found this year seems to be from
 'Author Unknown', presented here for your enjoyment.

At the sound of the tolling midnight bell
a brand new year will begin.
Let’s raise our hopes in a confidant toast,
to the promise it ushers in.


May your battles be few, your pleasure many,
your wishes and dreams fulfilled.
May your confidence stand in the face of loss
and give you the strength to rebuild.


May peace of heart fill all your days
may serenity grace your soul.
May tranquil moments bless your life
and keep your spirit whole.


~ Author Unknown ~



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Surfing the Web..


Time for the last 'web surf' of 2011, wherein I pass on links I hope others might find of interest.

It's a short list to post here at year's end, but as we head out of a year that saw the ending of our presence in Iraq while our troops continue to fight on in Afghanistan...these seemed like important posts/stories to make you aware of, and for us all to reflect upon.

First, Rajiv Srinivason posts  For Anne

Paul Franklin passes on  The eyes that reveal the trauma of war

from MassLive.com  comes
War photographer Anja Niedringhaus' journey to locate injured Marine she comforted in Afghanistan

and lastly, from the Army/Live blog  'He was just a baby'

That's the surf!

Looking forward to passing on more in the coming year. Thank you, for reading these links I pass along.

God bless our Troops!
and may His Comfort and Peace surround the loved ones of those whom we have lost,and those who continue to recover from injuries received in service to our country.

Find the Data

I was recently made aware of these two websites, part of findthedata.org

the first is LocateGrave.org  you can search for graves of veterans across the U.S.

and the second is a database of Medal of Honor recipients   http://medal-of-honor.findthedata.org/

the feature I like most is the 'comparison' feature, that seemed really interesting.

Passing these on for you to check out further!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Send a Holiday Message to Wounded Warriors~by Dec. 18

Off the Base passes on that the Wounded Warrior Project is asking that you send an email message to be used on a special WWP message board that is shared with America's wounded heroes...and the deadline is Dec. 18th to send your message...go Here for the story and link...and then spread the word, will you please?

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Wednesday Hero


Marguerite Gene Arenesen, George Warren & Thomas M. Sugg
Marguerite Gene Arenesen (left) a member of the Coast Guard in World War II, George Warren (standing), a Canadian-born immigrant who became a naturalized American citizen at age 17 and joined the Army Air Corps shortly after the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and Thomas M. Sugg, a Navy veteran, share a moment in front of a Christmas tree at the Veterans Home in Barstow, California.
 
Photo Courtesy United States Marine Corps Taken By Keith Hayes

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

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.
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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Arlington Wreath Laying 2011

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kasee102's photostream on Flickr.


We went to  Arlington National Cemetery  yesterday , to participate in the
Wreaths Across America  20th annual wreath laying .

Unfortunately, after a change in the schedule that we hadn't seen, we arrived after most of the wreaths had been laid. We managed to find just a few of the last wreaths, and place them, and then we proceeded to take some pictures ...which I still don't think do justice to how breathtaking it is to look out across the cemetery and see the wreaths laid in row upon row of headstones, as far as the eye can see. 

And then I went to Section 60 and found a grave that I've been meaning to visit for a long time, to pay my respects...ever since I sent the widow of this fallen soldier a condolence card, she has always sent me a beautiful Christmas card every year, with a  moving remembrance of her husband, and so I wished to take time to pause at his gravesite and say a small prayer.

While our participation this year didn't go quite as we had planned? it was still a privilege to be a part of this once again at Arlington..
.and Thank You, to Morrill Worcester and the Worcester Wreath Company  for beginning this tradition!

---------------------
Soldiers Angels Germany has a nice post up also about Wreath-laying at Arlington





Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Mrs Xoke
Sgt. 1st Class Bryan E.
Hall
Sgt. 1st Class Bryan E. Hall
32 years old from Elk Grove, California
1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment,
 2nd Brigade Combat Team,
 4th Infantry Division
April 10, 2009
U.S. Army
Bryan Hall received three Army commendation medals, as well as good Army achievement, good conduct and war on terrorism medals. But his family didn't learn about them until after his death. "He was such a humble man," said his mother, Betty. "He was a special person, he never boasted about his accomplishments or was arrogant and pompous, he did his job," his sister, Kristi, said. "When he was done with his job, he came home and he was a father, a husband, a son and a brother. He embodied what I think every soldier would want to be." Sgt. 1st Class Hall was a junior in High School when he signed up for an Army early entry program. After he graduated he attended one year of college before enlisting. Bryan Hall, and five other soldiers, was killed on April 10, 2009 when a suicide bomber detonated a truck packed with explosives at a police station in Mosul, Iraq. Betty Hall said an Army commander told her that by ordering his soldiers to fire on the suicide bomber's truck, her son probably saved many lives by preventing the attacker from entering the police compound.
 
You can read more about Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Hall  here.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

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.

Wednesday Hero Logo


Monday, December 05, 2011

December 7, 1941

(This Post Was Written By Cindy  Thank you, Cindy, for sharing this with others to post!)

Pearl Harbor was originally a shallow embankment called Wai Momi (Pearl Water) or Pu'rloa (long Hill). It was considered the home of the shark goddess, Ka'ahupahua, and her brother, Kahiuka. Tradition says that Keaunui, the legendary chief of the Ewa chiefs is the one w ho created a navigable channel near the present day Pu'uloa saltworks. The estuary known as "Pearl River" was then accessible to shipping. It was never used for large shipping because of the shallow entrance. As whaling and trading began to use the islands as a half-way point in the Pacific, by 1820 the US was looking for a major harbor. It was not until the turn of the century that Pearl Harbor began to be refitted for larger naval vessels.The naval base we know today was formally opened when the dry dock was open to flooding on August 21, 1919.

As early as February 1, 1933, the Navy staged a mock attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. The exercise was a disaster. Even in 1933 it was known that Pearl Harbor's defenses were considered, after the mock attack by Japan, a failure. It makes the events of December 7, 1941 even more heart-wrenching. The War Department knew the attack was coming. They did not know when. They did not realize that Pearl Harbor, which was basically a sitting duck, was to be the location of the attack. It was assumed the attack would come in the Philippines.


Photo taken by a Japanese plane shows Battleship Row at the beginning of the attack, along with the strike on the USS Oklahoma

Under the command of Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, the attack was devastating in loss of life and damage to the U.S. fleet. At 06:05 on December 7, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 aircraft composed mainly of dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations at 07:51. The first wave attacked military airfields of Ford Island. At 08:30, a second wave of 170 Japanese aircraft, mostly torpedo bombers, attacked the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The battleship Arizona was hit with an armor-piercing bomb which penetrated the forward ammunition compartment, blowing the ship apart and sinking it within seconds. Overall, nine ships of the U.S. fleet were sunk and 21 ships were severely damaged. Three of the 21 would be irreparable. The overall death toll reached 2,403, including 68 civilians, and 1,178 injured. Of the military personnel lost at Pearl Harbor, 1,177 were from the Arizona. The first shots fired were from the destroyer Ward on a midget submarine that surfaced outside of Pearl Harbor; Ward sank the midget sub at approximately 06:55, about an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan would lose 29 out of the 350 aircraft they attacked with...."



USS Arizona
 
 
The attack on Pearl Harbor, called Hawaii Operation or Operation Al by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters was designed to prevent the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with their military actions in Southeast Asia, against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and the US. The Japanese attack was so thorough that only 29 aircraft and five midget submarines were lost. The US death toll was 2,403. Only 65 Japanese servicemen were killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.
 Arizona Memorial
 
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam WWII In The Pacific