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Veteran's Day

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Out of Character

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Armed Forces, Past and Present--

Thank You for your service and for all the sacrifices great and small that you have made by putting on the uniform. May God bless you with health and contentment.

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Not much more that I can add to that except to say that I absolutely agree.

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Verily, our hats and characters off to those who serve and who have served this country, There is not a vocation that I esteem higher than those who are in uniform.

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Heck ya! If not for you, we would be under the rule the rule of communist, kings, and Arabic princes. Salute those that only protect, but built the free world.

A happy veterans day for all those who are or were in uniform (from those of us who REALLY support the troops).

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I second everything mentioned above... and possibly everything after.

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I get everyone's vodka rations for today and 500,000 rubles.... Premier Betty has seconded that!

I get everyone's wallets...... Premier Betty has seconed that as well.

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I said possibly! POSSIBLY! that does not mean definitively. Although dirk can keep everyone's wallets due to the fact that I don't bring my wallet with me anymore. (I do learn some things)

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You mean criminal Dirk? I don't know him.... Never heard of him...

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Come on, he hasn't been purged... yet. You need not be so cautious at this point in time, he has to stand trial and be found guilty before we convert him to non-person status.

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He's a criminal or insane... either way he is radioactive right now.

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To honor all the veterans of war NOVEMBER 11, 2007

This letter was written by Charles Grennel and his comrades, veterans of the Global War On Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq elections in January 2005.

They wrote it to Jill Edwards, student at the University of Washington, who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg "Pappy" Boyington.
(You may remember the TV show from the 70's "Baa Baa Black Sheep")

Ms. Edwards, other students and faculty do not think those who serve in the U.S. armed services are good role models.


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To: Jill Edwards, Student, University of Washington

Miss Edwards,

I read of your student activity regarding the proposed memorial to Colonel Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive many angry emails from conservative people like me.

You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naivety. It may be that you are simply a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep, as long as you know and accept what you are.

William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 said "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident. We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people, not capable of hurting each other except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

Then there are the wolves who feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

Then there are sheepdogs and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the unchartered path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kid's schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard. So they choose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog that intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land.

They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go Baa. Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them.

This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.

Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter. He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day.

After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that would destroy 98 percent of the population.

Research was conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said they specifically targeted victims by body language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents - from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

Edmund Burke said "There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." Here is the point I want to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They don't have a choice.

But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you.

If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no distinction. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. On one end is the head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between.

Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. It's OK to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheepdog. Indeed, the sheepdog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from "baa" to "thanks".

We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained protecting the sheep. And, when our number is called by The Almighty, and day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

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Laika
A former Sheepdog, but not sheep.

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I so loved that! It can't be said any better, except perhaps by,,,

No greater love hath a man, than he would lay down his life for another.

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Ivan Betinov wrote:Out of Character

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Armed Forces, Past and Present--

Thank You for your service and for all the sacrifices great and small that you have made by putting on the uniform. May God bless you with health and contentment.

As a veteran of the United States Armed Forces, You're Welcome!!! My 10 years of service were some of the most rewarding of my life. I am without a doubt a better person for the experience. If I could do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

My thanks to those who follow into the service after my time was over. Those who had the courage to put on the uniform, and stand post. And my thanks to those who paid a high price for it!

Thanks also go out to people like my girlfriend's dad. He's 82 years old and a veteran of WW2. In those days the Armed Forces were segregated. Not only did he survive the hell of the highlands of central and northern Italy, but he had to come back home, injured, to a land that looked down on him for his skin pigmentation. That generation not only had the courage to stare down the Nazis, they had the courage to change this country. And changed it for the better.

As an ex-intelligence service guy, let us also remember those who are but a nameless star on a wall. Whose gallantry we will most likely never know about. If I were still allowed to drink alcohol, I would pour a stiff glass Jack Daniels and toast "Here's to you, old friends!".

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Speaking of nameless heroes.... I know it's been out for a long time, but I am just getting around to reading Blind Man's Bluff. What a great book! The amazing things the submariners did tapping Russian phone lines etc was awesome.

But what really got me laughing was the epilogue when he tells some stories from the Russian side. Did you know that in the early sixties, Kruschev was so anxious to see a successful ICBM shot from the early nuke subs, that their navy fooled him with their own "Ptompken Village" at sea. They were having troubles with the nuke subs, and had failed every time, but they had had some success with diesel subs, so they had a diesel sub slip behind a nuke boat, and fire off the missile! It fooled Kruschev completely and he even gave an award to the nuke boat! LOL! Then there was a story of a Russian nuke that during the Six Days War was ordered to be within range striking Israel in 15 hours... which freaked out the captain since to make that time table would require his boat that made 20 knots to run 53 knots all the way! Then along the way, a Russian supply boat in an effort to help them sent the nuke boat a message that while they were low themselves, could give them some fuel and water! Seems the Fleet at the time had such little knowledge about nuke boats they didn't realize they made their own fuel and water! The captain told the supply boat that they could cook the supply boat all the fresh water they needed. Those Crazy Ivans! LOL!

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That was a great book. You know what's also a good book? Tower of Secrets. Guy works for KGB and defects to the US with his wife and daughter. The Soviet Union thought they died until the second part of the book came out.

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I will have to look for that one. That is the sort of reading I enjoy.

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Blind Mans Bluff is a great book! The chapter on the USS Scorpion hit close to home for me. The daughter of the Scorpion's XO is a friend of mine. Her husband is a retired US Navy Capt. They have six kids (because they didn't want seven)! All of those kids were involved in either the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts. The oldest two are USNA graduates.

Another good book to read. The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB. Vasili Mitrokin was the chief archivist for the KGB for many years. And for years he was sneaking information he copied by writing very, very small on tiny slivers of paper and storing them in milk cans under his dacha. Later the British Secret Service smuggled him and his milk cans out of the old Soviet Union.

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ZB

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I think the best military book ever was my favorite back in elementary and junior high school: Up Front. I can't tell you how many times I read this book... I would love to have a copy of it now... with my favorite of many favorites....

Image "Able Fox Five to Able Fox. I got a target but ya gotta be patient."

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"Thanks for the memories...(and our freedom)

Image "Don't startle 'im, Joe — it's almost full."

and clearly this must be the Chairman's father....

Image "Them rats! Them dirty, cold-blooded, sore-headed, stinkin' Huns! Them atrocity-committin' skunks ..."

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Can't believe I missed this thread; I must have been tending to mortgage brokers and realtors, who are somewhere between tapeworms and lampreys, and can only aspire to be dead sheep.

Yes, I too thank the military, all the time. I was brought up that way and have the mental horsepower, and vision clear enough, to understand why. Some Brit lord said, "We all sleep sound in our beds secure in the knowledge that rough men stand ready to do violence in our names." Just so.

Once I thanked a group of military people that I met, after we had talked for a while and I'd made a few discourteous remarks about our Many Titted Empress, which went down well, that I did appreciate it. For without them they'd be wearing beards and towels, their wives burqas, and I'd be dead because I'm gay. They understood my reasons.

Oddly enough, Bennett's phrase about wanting to be on one of the 9/11 flights struck me--because I, of all people, had felt that. When the Shoe Bomber, Reid, came up, I grumbled that I'd like to be on a flight when someone was trying to light his shoe for there would be one very pissed off man trying to tear his head off.

I always wanted to do something a little bit more useful than slap the crap out of a BEQ.

Again, my thanks.


 
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