I wanted to thank those Men and Women who have laid down their lives so that I may live the life that I do. I hope everyone has a great, and safe, Memorial Day.
Showing posts with label American Flag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Flag. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?
Fridays at the Pentagon
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY
McClatchy Newspapers
Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and
Air Force personnel have given their lives in the terrible duty that is
war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers, horribly wounded and
facing months or years in military hospitals.
This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and
former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert Bateman, who recently completed a
year long tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon.
Here's Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony
that fills the halls of the Army corridor of the Pentagon with cheers,
applause and many tears every Friday morning. It first appeared on May
17 on the Weblog of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media
Matters for America Website.
"It is 110 yards from the "E" ring to the "A" ring of the
Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is newly renovated; the floors
shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant
the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few
sergeants and some civilians, all crammed tightly three and four deep
against the walls. There are thousands here.
This hallway, more than any other, is the `Army' hallway. The G3
offices line one side, G2 the other, G8 is around the corner. All Army.
Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may not have seen
each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the
way and renew.
Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the
center. The air conditioning system was not designed for this press of
bodies in this area.
The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares. "10:36 hours:
The clapping starts at the E-Ring. That is the outermost of the five
rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the building.
This clapping is low, sustained, hearty. It is applause with a deep
emotion behind it as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the
hallway.
"A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of
the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the forward edge with his
presence.
He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one leg, and
some of his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is
a private, or perhaps a private first class.
"Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his
gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I
described one of these events, those lining the hallways were somewhat
different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for
not having shared in the burden ... yet.
"Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in
the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This steadies the applause, but I
think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier's
chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel.
"Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come
more of his peers,
each private, corporal, or sergeant assisted as need be by a
field grade officer.
"11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands
hurt, and I laugh to myself at how stupid that sounds in my own head. My
hands hurt. Please! Shut up and clap. For twenty-four minutes, soldier
after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30.. Fifty-three legs
come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall
came 30 solid hearts.
They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and
then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor,
hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting
out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up,
down this hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching
handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade.
More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.
"There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old
war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband's wheelchair and not quite
understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew
up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older
immigrant Latino parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded
mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son's
behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the
silent tears on more than a few cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his
eyes only to better see. A couple of the officers in this crowd have
themselves been a part of this parade in the past.
These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are
our brothers, and we welcome them home. This parade has gone on, every
single Friday, all year long, for more than four years.
"Did you know that?
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY
McClatchy Newspapers
Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and
Air Force personnel have given their lives in the terrible duty that is
war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers, horribly wounded and
facing months or years in military hospitals.
This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and
former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert Bateman, who recently completed a
year long tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon.
Here's Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony
that fills the halls of the Army corridor of the Pentagon with cheers,
applause and many tears every Friday morning. It first appeared on May
17 on the Weblog of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media
Matters for America Website.
"It is 110 yards from the "E" ring to the "A" ring of the
Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is newly renovated; the floors
shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant
the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few
sergeants and some civilians, all crammed tightly three and four deep
against the walls. There are thousands here.
This hallway, more than any other, is the `Army' hallway. The G3
offices line one side, G2 the other, G8 is around the corner. All Army.
Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may not have seen
each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the
way and renew.
Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the
center. The air conditioning system was not designed for this press of
bodies in this area.
The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares. "10:36 hours:
The clapping starts at the E-Ring. That is the outermost of the five
rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the building.
This clapping is low, sustained, hearty. It is applause with a deep
emotion behind it as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the
hallway.
"A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of
the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the forward edge with his
presence.
He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one leg, and
some of his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is
a private, or perhaps a private first class.
"Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his
gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I
described one of these events, those lining the hallways were somewhat
different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for
not having shared in the burden ... yet.
"Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in
the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This steadies the applause, but I
think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier's
chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel.
"Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come
more of his peers,
each private, corporal, or sergeant assisted as need be by a
field grade officer.
"11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands
hurt, and I laugh to myself at how stupid that sounds in my own head. My
hands hurt. Please! Shut up and clap. For twenty-four minutes, soldier
after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30.. Fifty-three legs
come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall
came 30 solid hearts.
They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and
then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor,
hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting
out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up,
down this hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching
handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade.
More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.
"There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old
war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband's wheelchair and not quite
understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew
up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older
immigrant Latino parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded
mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son's
behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the
silent tears on more than a few cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his
eyes only to better see. A couple of the officers in this crowd have
themselves been a part of this parade in the past.
These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are
our brothers, and we welcome them home. This parade has gone on, every
single Friday, all year long, for more than four years.
"Did you know that?
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
War Hero Can Keep His Flagpole
RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 9) — A 90-yearold
Medal of Honor winner can keep his 21-
foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowners
association dropped its request to
remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia
Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.
The Sussex Square homeowners association
likewise has agreed to drop threats to
take legal action against retired Army Col.
Van T. Barfoot, Warner spokesman Kevin
Hall said.
The association had threatened to take
Barfoot to court if he failed to remove the
pole from his suburban Richmond home by
Friday. It had said the pole violated the
neighborhood’s aesthetic guidelines.
Neither Barfoot’s daughter, Margaret
Nicholls, nor homeowners association
president Glenn Wilson has returned telephone
messages.
Dropping the issue effectively ends a request
that White House press secretary
Robert Gibbs on Monday called “silly.”
Warner and Sen. Jim Webb, both Virginia
Democrats, had rallied behind Barfoot,
a World War II veteran.
In a letter last week, Webb urged the association
to “consider the exceptional nature
of Col. Barfoot’s service when considering
his pride and determination in honoring
our flag.”
Barfoot’s fight also has lit up veterans
bulletin boards and blog sites supporting
him.
Barfoot won the Medal of Honor for actions
while his platoon was under German
assault near Carano, Italy, in May 1944. He
was credited with standing up to three German
tanks with a bazooka and stopping
their advance.
He also won the Purple Heart and other
decorations, and served in Korea and Vietnam
before retiring from the service in
1974.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Camo and Christmas Lights
Please remember all our fighting men and women not just this time of year but EVERYDAY
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fireman suspended of US Flag Decal
(Oct. 17) — A Pennsylvania firefighter who put an American flag sticker on the front of his locker has been suspended without pay for refusing to take the Old Glory decal down.
James Krapf, along with nearly a dozen other Chester, Pa. firefighters, were ordered to remove personal items from the outside of their lockers — a violation of department policy, MyFoxPhilly.com reported.
Krapf refused to do so and the department suspended him Thursday. So far, he’s the only one on forced leave.
"I shouldn’t have to remove the flag of the country I believe in. I love my country," Krapf told the Fox affiliate.
The department directed firefighters to keep the outside of their lockers undecorated after some employees took offense to a racially-motivated cartoon posted last summer.
Department officials told The Philadelphia Inquirer that banning any decor from lockers was the only way to prevent fighting among employees.
"The directive says ‘everything,’ " Capt. John Barbato, vice president of the department’s union, told the newspaper. "I never would’ve thought the American flag would be included in that."
For the full story, visit MyFoxPhilly.com.com and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
2009 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2009-10-17 16:24:08
James Krapf, along with nearly a dozen other Chester, Pa. firefighters, were ordered to remove personal items from the outside of their lockers — a violation of department policy, MyFoxPhilly.com reported.
Krapf refused to do so and the department suspended him Thursday. So far, he’s the only one on forced leave.
"I shouldn’t have to remove the flag of the country I believe in. I love my country," Krapf told the Fox affiliate.
The department directed firefighters to keep the outside of their lockers undecorated after some employees took offense to a racially-motivated cartoon posted last summer.
Department officials told The Philadelphia Inquirer that banning any decor from lockers was the only way to prevent fighting among employees.
"The directive says ‘everything,’ " Capt. John Barbato, vice president of the department’s union, told the newspaper. "I never would’ve thought the American flag would be included in that."
For the full story, visit MyFoxPhilly.com.com and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
2009 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2009-10-17 16:24:08
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