Important Things to read |
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Retired military officers from around the nation are volunteering their time to teach teenagers the importance of patriotism, a value they say is missing from the education of today’s youth. Members of the Military Order of the World Wars, a nonprofit group for officers of all uniformed services, offer free scholarships to 10,000 high school students each year to attend leadership conferences where they learn about respect, accountability, free enterprise and service to country. The students also hear speakers who lecture about U.S. history, the flag and the importance of becoming citizens of character, courage and integrity. "We’re teaching things that have been diluted in our school system, says Jack Nicholson, a retired Army brigadier general who heads the order’s office of planned giving. "The teenagers are very grateful for t his experience. Some say it turned their whole life around." Paula Haley, a retired Air Force lieutenant and Vietnam War veteran, is commandant of the order’s Annapolis, Md., chapter. She will host 60 young men and women, some coming from as far away as California, in late June. They will stay on the campus of St. John’s College for three days of seminars led by career military officers who volunteer their time for the program each year. Students will hear lectures on the Bill of Rights and a speech from a former Vietnam prisoner of war, who will talk about "what it take s to love your country," Miss Haley said. The Annapolis leadership conference, like the 17 others that will be held by the military order nationwide this year, is based on learning and values but won’t be short on fun, Miss Haley said. The Maryland students will board buses for a visit to Fort McHenry and the Flag House in Baltimore, as well as a tour of the U.S. Naval Academy and a local Marine barracks, where they will watch the cadets perform parade maneuvers. "We’re not on a recruiting mission for the military," Miss Haley said. see this as a way of giving back to the kids and to teach the leadership skills. "We just want them to walk away and to have learned what it means to be better citizen, to tell the truth, to love and serve your country, ‘ she said. The leadership conferences are held on college campuses as w ell as at the national Boy Scout Ranch, the Freedom Foundation in Valley Forge, Pa., and at several military bases, including Camp Pendleton near San Diego. Participants are nominated by their high school principals, selected through local civic groups like the Civitan and Rotary clubs, or chosen from the ranks of their high school ROTC programs. A few pay their own way, their eager parents willing to cover the $250 cost, Miss Haley said."I think their parents realize all the bad things that are happening around them today and they see the importance of having their children attend a conference where the focus is on leadership," she said. "They want their children to be around other outstanding kids that achieve." Aidan Tunnell, a graduating senior at Santa Fe High School in New Mexico first attended the Arizona Youth Leadership conference in 1998 and went on to attend six others. "I learned more about my country in a couple of days than I had ever learned with years of history lessons," he said. "I truly believe that those conferences have changed the way I look at my country and government. Leadership is a word I never thought twice about, but I can now proudly say that I am a leader." Testimonials like that please Mr. Nicholson, who hopes corporations and other potential donors may hear about the order’s program and chip in to defray the costs to house and feed the students. "We want to expand this program so we can involve hundreds of thousands of kids, not just thousands,’ he said. "We’ve got something real good going here. It’s important to the country and it’s valuable to our teenagers." |
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Dear America: I am writing this letter to extend thanks to all the American people who still, despite the recent headlines undermining the ethics and morality of the military, understand that our jobs and way of life are necessary to preserve the "American" way of life. I once thought that "America" viewed us as most media portrays us; immoral, unethical, and uncivilized. My recent travels led me to conclude that the opposite is true. You, the American people, that honor and respect what we do, deserve a public thank you." Just a few weeks ago, a tragedy embedded itself in the tall evergreen forests at the Joint readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, LA. As a tank slowly slalomed through the trees after sunset on January 14, 1998, the tank commander fell victim to the inherent danger of the military. SGT (P) Donald Wayne Slover passed away that night as he was guiding his tank through the thickest of trees, fog, and rain. The tank’s edge clipped and uprooted a tree, which sent it crashing to the ground. The medics, arriving on site only minutes later, felt SGT (P) Slover’s last pulse. As one of two military escorts, I was required to accompany the remains from the training area to the burial site, ensuring the proper and unimpaired delivery to the next of kin. The obligation required a two-day journey from Fort Hood, TX, to Williamsburg, KY, via Fort Polk, LA. Loading, unloading, and transportation of the remains required our physical presence. This particular trip entailed a three-hour van ride, a connecting flight in Atlanta in route to Knoxville, and a 1-hour drive to Williamsburg, KY. Upon boarding our initial flight out of Houston we informed the flight attendant of our duties. After explaining that it was necessary for us to depart the plane first upon landing (so as not to delay the cargo personnel unloading the casket), two gentlemen offered their seats in the first row of the plane for our last row seats. This gesture left me speechless. I’m not so sure they even knew our purpose for having to be first off the plane, but with no questions immediately sacrificed their front row seats. After arriving in Atlanta, we were escorted by airport personnel off the plane and down to the tarmac. Standing in our dress green uniforms, we watched as the airline employees carefully unloaded the casket onto the cargo truck. The truck drove off to the departing gate and we made our way back inside the terminal. We met the cargo truck at the departure gate and again were escorted down to the tarmac to supervise the loading of our final flight. Following the loading, we turned and headed back to the terminal. As we made that walk, I noticed that the crowd awaiting the outbound flight was watching us. Not thinking much about it at the time, I scurried out of the cold and awaited the boarding call. We boarded the plane and again informed the flight attendant of our duties and departure requirements. The flight was booked, every seat filled, and she told us that she would make an announcement upon landing that we were to exit the plane first. Having been on full flights before, I was for certain that this announcement would be ignored. Passengers are normally elbow deep in the overhead compartments as soon as the wheels touch the ground. I was 100% positive I would be the last person off that flight. But I took my seat in the back of the plane, my partner 10 rows in front, and with all of my military skills tried to devise a plan that could project me to the front of that plane upon landing. I concluded that even generals would have a rough time planning such an operation. As the plane touched down in Knoxville, the flight attendant gave the standard ‘keep your seat belts fastened until the captain turns off the seat belt sign" announcement. She then led into the fact that two military escorts were on-board and that everyone must remain in their seats until we departed the plane. The plane parked and to my astonishment, not a soul moved. I’d never witnessed such absolute silence in my life. Many of the passengers turned their heads to the rear of the plane but not a sound was made as the other escort and myself donned our jackets, grabbed our bags, and headed down the aisle. I realized then that all eyes were on us. As we neared the exit an older gentleman leaned toward us and broke the silence with something I will never forget, "God bless you both," he said. I am sir, most truly blessed. I have been afforded the opportunity to work alongside some of the greatest Sons and daughters of our nation. We know and understand that each day presents the possibility of injury and/or death and we take all precautions to prevent them. But we sacrifice that possibility because you depend on us- We train through the roughest of conditions, with minimum sleep and limited resources, anywhere at anytime, to ensure we are always ready. We, sir, are most honored that you entrust us to defend your country. So I’m writing this letter to say thanks. Thank you Delta Airlines, thank you gentlemen for your seats, thank you sir for your blessings, and thank you America for your support. You see… we as soldiers don’t expect you to understand the ways in which we live, train, and fight; we just ask for a thank you from time to time. A little appreciation from the people we’re defending weighs more than a chest full of awards and medals. SGT (P) Donald Wayne Slover gave his life training to defend the very code of morality and ethics he exemplified and believed in. SGT (P) Slover believed in the Army and his country. I worked alongside SGT (P) Slover for over a year. He was good at his job and he loved it. He never complained and always did what was asked of him. SGT~P) Slover always maintained the courage of his convictions. I hope he lied to rest knowing he was appreciated. If not, we failed as a nation and we owe it to him.
Daniel Ashley 1-10 cavalry READY AND FORWARD |
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Signers of the Declaration of Independence Lest ye forget them that came before ye. Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, of faith and well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of God, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't just fight the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted... We shouldn't. So, take a couple of minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank God for these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.............. And also wonder where the men of HONOR are today. |
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