Theodore's World

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Posted by Wild Thing at 07:55 AM | Comments (7)

June 20, 2010

Happy Fathers Day!

To all Team Theodore Fathers, and all military Dad's...a very happy Fathers Day to you!
May God bless and protect all of our brave soldiers that are keeping America safe on this Father's day.
*hugs* ~ Wild Thing

Posted by Wild Thing at 07:55 AM | Comments (7)

June 14, 2010

Today Is Flag Day! I Love Our Flag and What It Stands For!

Flag Day in the United States of America, observed every year on June 14, is an opportunity to honor the American flag. It's a chance to reflect on our flag's history and to celebrate this symbol of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

The first American flag was made in 1776 by Betsy Ross, who was George Washington's seamstress. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress resolved the adoption of the flag of the United States. The idea of having a day every year to commemorate this event is believed to have been started in 1885 by Bernard J. Cigrand, a Wisconsin school teacher. During the following three decades, others continued recognizing our flag on June 14. Flag Day was officially established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 as a day to celebrate the anniversary of the 1777 resolution.

This is to honor those that fought for our country, that carried our Flag into battle. For everything our Flag means and stands for. For our troops that look at our Flag especially when in country and know those that served before them, fought too for our freedom and security. I want to seperate anything else from this today, because the truth is our Flag is for me about these American heroes I mentioned and has nothing to do with those seeking to destroy us in our government, in the White House, they are the ones I show you at the bottom of this post. They are the enemy within. Thank you Veterans and our Troops today, thank you for all the years of keeping us safe and free. ~ Wild Thing

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Transcript:

“We The People” have stated resolutely we reject your vision for our country. You claim you have not heard us.

“We The People” have assembled across America resisting your efforts to subvert our constitution and undermine our liberty. You claim you have not seen us.

Since you have not acknowledged our message, let us here present it once more for if as President Wilson said, “a leader’s ear must ring with the voices of the people,” the time has come.

Our greatest treasure is freedom – the absence of restraints on our ability to think and to act. The corollary of freedom is individual responsibility. We believe in the power of the individual.

A few years ago President Bush said, “History moves toward freedom because the desire for freedom is written in every human heart.” Let us add that we will preserve it only as long as devotion to freedom is expressed in the heart of our actions.

When President Lincoln dedicated Gettysburg National Cemetery he declared, “It is for us the living to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus so nobly advanced.”

That unfinished cause for which our soldiers willingly go to battle and for which so many have given their lives is a free United States of America. It has been nearly one hundred fifty years and the work President Lincoln spoke of is not finished. In fact, that work will never be finished.

Freedom is the capacity of self-determination. It is not an entity but a condition and conditions change. Freedom can expand, yet so can it contract.

You promised change when you took office, Mr. President, but subjugation is not change we wanted or will accept.

You have expanded government, violated our Constitution, confounded laws, seized private industry, destroyed jobs, perverted our economy, curtailed free speech, corrupted our currency, weakened our national security, and endangered our sovereignty.

By compromising our nation’s cultural, legal and economic institutions, you are ensuring that our children will never achieve the same quality of life as we enjoy today. Through generational theft you are robbing the unborn of opportunity.

This is not acceptable. Not in America. We did not become a strong nation through hope but rather through self-reliance.

No one better understands the relationship between individual achievement, dignity and strength than our armed forces. Through every war our soldiers have held this nation’s destiny in their hands. They have not failed us. They cherish freedom enough that they are willing to die for it.

Our duty to them and to ourselves is to treasure freedom enough to live up to it.

We accept the challenge, Mr. President. That is why we are assembling across the land to deliver our message to you as often and in every way we can. Dismiss us at your political peril.

Our great nation is a Republic. We will not accept tyranny under any guise. Your policy to redistribute the fruits of our labor is Statism and will not be tolerated.

By our honor, Mr. President, we vow forever to resist coercive government in America. Patriots will not stand silent as you attempt to dismantle the greatest nation on earth. “We The People” will defend our liberty. We will protect our beloved country and America’s exceptionalism will prevail.

God Bless the United States of America!

Sincerely,

We The People

Posted by Wild Thing at 06:55 AM | Comments (4)

June 02, 2010

Memorial Day - Arlington (Trace Adkins)

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Wild Thing's comment.........

I love this!

....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.

Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67

Posted by Wild Thing at 05:40 AM | Comments (3)

May 31, 2010

A Tribute To The Sacrifices of Those Who Served and Fought For Our Freedom!!

A tribute to the sacrifices of the American Soldier: Shake the hand of a soldier... Another production from a member of the angry mob....wonderful Joe Dan. ~ Wild Thing

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From the Fields of Normandy I bring back many memories. Beneath them. I leave many friends,

For they are;

Les Fleurs de Normandie. (The Flowers of Normandy)

Les Fleurs de Normandie.

On Norman soil, they fought and died.
Now young men's graves in rows abound.
In Mother Earth's arms, now sanctified,
The fragrant flowers of our youth are found.

And yet, to rise again, as in a distant song.
Small voices that call, in dead of night.
Fleeting figures only in our dreams belong.
Alas, they fade, in dawn's bright light.

I see them yet, a sad, forgotten throng.
Shadowed, lost faces, marching on.
Over dusty roads, and high golden corn.
The call of long lost friends are borne.

We must not forget, the flowers of our days,
Lest they lay unquiet, in numbered graves.
For we lived, and loved, and life was sweet.
Still yet, for us, awaits our last retreat.

Flowers of our youth, now long since past.
Our sweet autumn days are fading fast.
We, who are left, flowered in our prime.
Enjoyed golden moments, on borrowed time.

Remember our friends, who passed this way.
For all our tomorrow's, they gave their today's,
On Utah and Omaha, Juno, Sword and Gold.
Oh! Dear Lord! See that they grow not old.

Author-Brian Guy.

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Meaning of a Flag Draped Coffin

All Americans should be given this lesson. Those who think that America is an arrogant nation should really reconsider that thought. Our founding fathers used GOD's word and teachings to establish our Great Nation and I think it's high time Americans get re-educated about this Nation's history. Pass it along and be proud of the country we live in and even more proud of those who serve to protect our "GOD GIVEN" rights and freedoms.

I hope you take the time to read this..... To understand what the flag draped coffin really means..... Here is how to understand the flag that laid upon it and is surrendered to so many widows and widowers.

Do you know that at military funerals, the 21-gun salute stands for the sum of the numbers in the year 1776?

Have you ever noticed the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the United States of America Flag 13 times? You probably thought it was to symbolize the original 13 colonies, but we learn something new every day!

The 1st fold of the flag is a symbol of life.

The 2nd fold is a symbol of the belief in eternal life.

The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing the ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of the country to attain peace throughout the world.

The 4th fold represents the weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

The 5th fold is a tribute to the country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."

The 6th fold is for where people's hearts lie. It is with their heart that They pledge allegiance to the flag of the United! States Of America, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

The 7th fold is a tribute to its Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that they protect their country and their flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of their republic.

The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.

The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of their country since they were first born.

The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding them of their nations motto, "In God We Trust."

After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for them the rights, privileges and freedoms they enjoy today.

There are some traditions and ways of doing things that have deep meaning.

Share this with the children you love and all others who love what is referred to, the symbol of "Liberty and Freedom."

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Wild Thing's comment........

As this is such a special day I am not doing any posts about you know who.

....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.

Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67

Posted by Wild Thing at 04:55 AM | Comments (4)

Special Volunteers At Arlington

Margaret Mensch attends a burial at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on April 22. Mensch is an "Arlington lady" — one of the volunteers who attend funerals there.

Team of women escort the fallen to their graves

Volunteers honor troops and make sure none is buried alone

Stars and Stripes

ARLINGTON, Va.

Joyce Johnson remembers the drums beating slowly as she walked with her girls from the Old Post Chapel, behind the horse-drawn caisson carrying the flag-draped casket of her husband.

She remembers struggling to maintain her composure as she stared at his freshly dug grave, trying not to dwell on the terrible sight in the distance — the gaping hole in the Pentagon where he had so proudly worked.

The three-volley salute. Taps. The chaplain handing her a perfectly folded flag. The blur of tributes.

And then a lady stepped forward, a stranger, dressed not in uniform but in a simple dark suit. She whispered a few words and pressed two cards into Johnson's hands.

"If there is anything you need ..."

Then she melted back into the crowd.

Later Johnson would think of her as a touchingly, human presence in a sea of starched uniforms and salutes. She would learn that the stranger was an "Arlington lady" — one of a small band of volunteers, mainly spouses of retired military officers, who attend every funeral in Arlington National Cemetery. She would read the notes — a formal one from the Army Chief of Staff and his wife, and a personal handwritten one from the Arlington lady herself.

She would learn of their mission: to ensure no soldier is buried alone.

Johnson wasn't alone. In fact she felt as though an entire nation was grieving with her.

But she never forgot the kindness of her Arlington Lady.

And several years later, as she wrestled with how to best to honor her husband, she dug out the lady's card. This is something I can do, she thought, not just for him, but for every soldier.

"It doesn't matter whether we are burying a four-star general or a private," says Margaret Mensch, head of the Army ladies. "They all deserve to have someone say thank you at their grave."

Mensch is sitting at her desk in the basement of the cemetery's administration building in the cramped office shared by ladies from the Navy, Air Force, Army and Coast Guard. The place bustles with activity — young military escorts in dress uniform arriving to accompany ladies to funerals, chaplains scribbling eulogies in their tiny office across the hall, cemetery representatives ushering mourners into private rooms upstairs.

30 funerals each weekday

There are approximately 30 funerals in Arlington every weekday and the ladies attend every one. All have their own reasons and stories.

There is Mensch, married to a retired Army colonel, who oversees the mammoth task of organizing the schedules for her 66 Army ladies and who says attending the funerals is the greatest honor of her life. And Doreen Huylebroeck, a 63-year-old nurse who remembers how desperately she wanted an Arlington lady beside her when her own husband, a retired Navy officer, died three years ago. Janine Moghaddam, who at 41 is one of the youngest Arlington ladies, and who felt a desperate need serve her country in some small way after Sept. 11, 2001. And Johnson herself.

She treks to the cemetery in spring when cherry blossoms burst over the rows of white stones and everything seems dusted in yellow pollen. And in the swelter of summer when the stones blaze in the heat and mourners sometimes pass out at services. Even in winter, when the wind whips through the marble pillars of the Columbarium, Johnson and the other ladies keep their vigil, clinging to the arms of their escorts as they pick their way through the mud and snow.

Always elegantly dressed, often in hats and gloves. Always standing, hand over heart, a respectful distance from the grave. Always mindful of history.

The ladies know every inch of Arlington's 624 manicured acres, from the stones of freed slaves marked "unknown citizens" to the grave of the first soldier interred here (Private William Christman, a farmer from Pennsylvania who fought in the Civil War) to Section 60, where the men and women who lost their lives in the current wars are buried.

"So many stones, so many stories," says Paula Mckinley, head of the Navy ladies, as she drives through the cemetery one recent spring day, stopping at a section not far from the throngs of tourists at President John F. Kennedy's grave.

Baldwin. Curtis. Sanchez. She walks among their headstones reciting their names.

With her booming voice, red hair tucked under a straw hat, and brisk manner, Mckinley, whose husband is a retired Navy officer, is a striking figure. But she is subdued by the graves, reverential. "They all deserve to be remembered, and to be visited," she says.

McKinley, who has been an Arlington lady for 21 years, drives a little further. She stops by a grove of willow oaks, searching for a specific plot.

"Here you are, sweetheart," she says, gently touching the stone of a young woman Navy officer who died in an accident at the age of 25. The officer's mother called from California one day — on her daughter's birthday — and asked if an Arlington lady could put flowers on the grave. Now McKinley visits regularly. She says it's the least she can do.

Job to honor, not grieve

The first group of Arlington ladies were formed in 1948 after Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg and his wife, Gladys, noticed an airman being buried without any family members present, just a chaplain and honor guard. It seemed so sad, and somehow so wrong. So Gladys Vandenberg enlisted a group of officers' wives to attend all Air Force funerals. The other branches of the armed services followed, with the exception of the Marines, who do not have a group.

The ladies insist they are not mourners. They come to honor, not to grieve. "An Arlington lady doesn't cry," is practically a mantra.

And yet, there are times when that is inevitable.

McKinley remembers choking up as she offered condolences to a 10-year-old girl, who had just lost her parents. The child reached up and hugged her tight. And the time a young widow from Peru clung to her, begging McKinley to sit next to her in the front row. Her husband had died suddenly and there were no family members to comfort her.

Linda Willey, head of the Air Force ladies, describes the pain of burying friends from the Pentagon after September 11, 2001, when shards of debris still littered the cemetery and tears flowed freely behind dark glasses.

And Mensch tells of the heartache the Army ladies felt last year when one of their own escorts was killed in Iraq. The handsome young soldier from the 3rd Infantry Division, who had escorted the ladies to hundreds of funerals, was buried with full military honors, an Arlington lady standing by his grave.

About 145 ladies volunteer in the four branches, which all have slightly different rules. The Army ladies maintain a strict dress code — no slacks, no red, panty hose to be worn at all times. The Navy ladies introduce themselves to the families before the funeral, and follow up with personal notes about six weeks later.

All of the ladies volunteer for one day a month, sometimes attending four or five funerals in a single day. All have memories and stories: the time a family feud erupted and police had to break up the mourners; the young widow who wore a red cocktail dress because it was her husband's favorite; the older widow who refused to get out of the car because she saw the Arlington lady standing near the grave. She assumed this was the other woman.

"You never know what to expect, and you never judge," Willey says as she walks among the headstones and ponders her role. Willey, 63, who is married to a retired Air Force colonel, became a lady almost by accident, as a favor to a friend who kept pressing her. From her first funeral she knew that this was what she was meant to do.

"It just felt right, such an honor," Willey says. "It's such a simple gesture and yet it can be so powerful."

'Angelic' presence

As she talks, strains of "America the Beautiful" seem to float over the stones from a grave site a short distance away. Jan Jackson of Fort Collins, Colo., is burying her parents. Their urns sit next to each other on a table above their joint grave.

Jackson's mother died in 2006 and her father, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, died last year. She had planned this springtime date on what would have been her father's 96th birthday. She wanted to honor her parents, married 67 years, by burying them together in the nation's hallowed ground.

As a member of a military family, Jackson, 59, is familiar with the pomp and precision and patriotism that accompany funerals. But she was utterly unprepared for the flood of emotion that swept over her as a young military escort took her arm and guided her from the chapel to the grave.

It was a small funeral — just Jackson, her son and grandchildren. And her Arlington lady.

Everything about the service was perfect, she said later. And this stranger was there to make it even better — "almost an angelic kind of person who is there for you even though she doesn't know you, even though she is not required, even though it is not her job. It was so special, so comforting."

From around the cemetery drift the sounds of other services, bands and gun salutes and drum rolls, one funeral seeming to blend into the next.

In one section, three daughters in black dresses and pearls, are burying their father, a former Navy officer who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and who meticulously planned his own funeral, even visiting Arlington regularly to view his final resting place. He smiles from a photograph propped next to his urn.

In the Columbarium, decorated veterans, laden with medals, are saluting one of their own — a member of the naval aviation squadron known as the Golden Eagles, and one of the last survivors of the Battle of Midway.

And in Section 60 a widow, young and beautiful and dressed in black, clutches her toddler son. Before her, standing to attention, the honor guard that had processed behind her husband's coffin, pulled in a caisson by six white horses. In the distance, the rifle guard that had fired the salute. In a far corner, the lone bugler who had played taps.

On this steamy spring day, beneath a towering oak, a 27-year-old Army sergeant, killed in an attack in Pakistan a month earlier, is about to be laid to rest.

"Today the country tries to say thank you ... and yet words are inadequate," the chaplain begins.

His widow seems overwhelmed, her eyes locked on the silver casket that holds his remains. His parents softly sob.

And then a lady steps forward, an older woman, dressed in a simple dark suit.

She whispers a few words of condolences and presses two cards into the widow's hands.

"If there is anything you need ..."

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Wild Thing's comment........

God bless these wonderful women.

This made me cry it is so touching and so beautiful.

.... Thank you Jim for sending this to me.

Posted by Wild Thing at 04:50 AM | Comments (2)

National Moment of Remembrance

Moment Of Remembrance

In 1996, a humanitarian organization based in Washington, D.C., known as 'No Greater Love' conducted a survey on children and asked them why do they think there is a holiday on Memorial Day. It was agonizing to hear their remarks that were all associated with barbecues and extended weekend parties and celebration, while they hadn't the vaguest idea about the sacrifices of the soldiers in whose honor it is celebrated. One of the children was even quoted as saying that this was the day when swimming pools open!

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Thus, the organization came up with the idea of 'National Moment of Remembrance' to remind and especially, let the future generations know about the real meaning of the holiday.

The idea clicked with the President and Congress and since 1997, it became a standard American tradition. National Moment of Remembrance requires everybody to keep silent for a minute, exactly at 3.00 pm (local time) when 'Taps' is played and reflect on the glory of those who have shed blood for us. The federal government hopes to raise public awareness about the heroes and their valor by introducing this moment.

Wherever a person is at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day ....today, to pause in an act of national unity (duration: one minute).The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday.

The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom.

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Wild Thing's comment.........

I have never heard of this before. I think it is a great idea. There are a lot of people that do not know exactly what today is for.

.... Thank you Richard for sending this to me.

Posted by Wild Thing at 04:49 AM | Comments (2)

Gene Simmons From KISS-A Patriotic Salute to the Military

Gene Simmons From KISS-A Patriotic Salute to the Military

"It's about America, it's about God and Country!" ~ Gene Simmons

GENE SIMMONS: It is embarrassing what’s happening to America nowadays. I’m embarrassed. The same thing happened in Vietnam, and I lived through that era. It was unbelievable. The answer seems to be, from some political experts, just get up and leave and the bad guys will decide, “Hey let’s disarm and everything’s going to be okay.” I’m so fucking sick and tired of such idiotic behavior.

It’s not the policies and the bills; it’s how we treat our military. It’s how we treat our young men or women who go out there, at 18 years old, and risk their lives. There’s no fame, they’re certainly not getting rich, and a lot of them are dying, simply for something they believe.

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Wild Thing's comment........

God bless Gene Simmons, he also goes to the VA hospitals and visits the wounded.

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......Thank you SSGT Steve

SSgt Steve
1st MarDiv, H Co., 2nd Bn, 5th Marine Regiment
2/5 Marines, Motto: "Retreat, Hell"
VN 66-67

Posted by Wild Thing at 04:47 AM | Comments (3)

May 30, 2010

These Heroes gave their ALL in Afghanistan May 26,2010....they will not be forgotten.

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These Heroes gave their ALL in Afghanistan May 26,2010....they will not be forgotten

Maj. Ronald W. Culver, Jr., USA, KIA Iraq 24MAY2010
Pfc. Christopher R. Barton, USA, KIA Afghanistan 24MAY2010
SSgt. Edwin Rivera, USA, DOW Afghanistan 25MAY2010
Spc. Stanley J. Sokolowski, III, USA, Died Afghanistan 20MAY2010
Pfc. Jason D. Fingar, III, USA, KIA Afghanistan 22MAY2010
Gunner Zak Cusack, 4th Regiment Royal Artillery, KIA Afghanistan 26MAY2010
Cpl. Stephen Paul Curley, 40 Commando Royal Marines, KIA Afghanistan 26MAY2010

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Words from Ronald Reagan on Memorial Day

President Ronald Reagan's June 6, 1984 speech in front of the U.S. Ranger Monument in Normandy commemorating the Rangers' charge up Pointe du Hoc:

"Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief. It was loyalty and love.

"The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge-and pray to God we have not lost it-that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

"You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty."

Posted by Wild Thing at 05:55 AM | Comments (4)

Thank You Soldiers Sung By The Children At Tussing Elementary School ini Virginia

From their teacher, he sent me an email :

From: Michael Souders
To: wildbronco@comcast.net
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 8:49 AM
Subject: VIDEO TO POST

I LOVE LOVE YOUR SITE! I am an elementary music teacher from Virginia, and was wondering if you would take a moment to look at this beautiful video of our 3rd graders singing "Thank You, Soldiers" and consider posting it on your site. There are still children learning about the GOOD that our troops do, and that they are our real heroes!!

Please consider posting this!! All I want to do is spread the THANK YOU to as many sodiers/vets possible!

Michael Souders
Tussing Elementary School Music
www.tussingmusic.com

Colonial Heights Public Schools
"Where Quality Education is a Step Ahead"

..."the entire school sang this chorus of Thank You Soldiers - to hear al those little voices sing SO loud - WE LOVE OUR HEROES !! "......

Wild Thing's comment........

Last year I posted his video and I am thrilled that I can post it for this Memorial Day as well. It is so very special and touching to hear these children sing from their hearts and to know they are being taught the right way about our country and our Heroes.

......Thank you RAC for sending this to me.

RAC has a website that is awesome. 336th Assault Helicopter Company

13th Combat Aviation Battalion - 1st Aviation Brigade - Soc Trang, Republic of Vietnam

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....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.

Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67

Posted by Wild Thing at 05:49 AM | Comments (2)

Canisius College - WWII Display - The Niland Boys

Canisius College - WWII Display - The Niland Boys

http://www.canisius.edu/archives/niland.asp

The History

One of the most poignant stories of Canisius' involvement in World War II is that of the Niland family. Edward, Preston, Robert, and Frederick were the sons of Michael and Augusta Niland. The four brothers, who lived in Tonawanda, NY, a town north of Buffalo, all went to Canisius College except for Preston who attended the University of Buffalo. Thomas and Joseph Niland, their cousins, also attended Canisius. Thomas was in the same grade as Frederick while Joseph was a year ahead.

Before the United States entered the war in Europe, Preston and Robert enlisted in the service. Edward and Fredrick (also known as "Fritz") followed after volunteering in November 1942. Because of the famous 1942 Sullivan case in which five brothers had been killed when their ship was sunk, the new army rule mandated that immediate family members could not serve together. As a result, each brother served in a different unit: Technical Sergeant Edward Niland as a pilot in the Army Air Force, Technical Sergeant Robert Niland with the 82nd Airborne Division (505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Company D), Lieutenant Preston Niland with the 4th Infantry Division (22nd Infantry Regiment), and Sergeant Frederick Niland as a member of the 101st Airborne's 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. The brothers' cousins also joined - Thomas Niland also served in the 101st Airborne Division but in a different unit than Fritz while Joseph Niland was in the 20th armored tank division.

Tragedy Strikes

On May 16, 1944, Michael and Augusta received the first bad news that their son Edward, 31 at the time, had been shot down over Burma and was missing. Soon afterwards on June 6, 1944, the Allied forces began their costly invasion of Nazis-controlled Europe. Preston, 29, Robert, 25, Fritz, 24, and Thomas Niland, 24, all took part in the first waves of the invasion. Robert was killed on D-day while manning his machine-gun post in Neuville, a city not far from the beaches. Preston was killed the next day near Omaha Beach. Fritz, meanwhile, had been dropped between Omaha and Utah beaches while Thomas was involved in a glider unit that landed in France. Joseph, 25, was not involved with the invasion.

When the Army heard of the tragic story, they determined that the Nilands would not suffer the death of their last child. Fr. Francis Sampson, the chaplain of the 501st Regiment, found Fritz and began the paperwork necessary for his return home. Fritz stayed with his men a few more days until he was shipped back to England and, finally, to the U.S. where he served as an MP in New York until the completion of the war.

From August 1942 to April 1946, Fr. Murray, a philosophy professor, compiled a scrapbook of local newspaper articles that mentioned any of Canisius's "boys at arms." Listed here are the articles directly related to the story of the Niland family.

family.

"3d Son Missing Parents Learn; All Since D-Day" (pdf.) (B.N. 7-8-44)*

"One of 3 Missing Brothers Killed" (pdf.) (B. N. 7-31-44)

"Tonawandans Lose Second Son in France" (pdf.) (C.E. 8-5-44)**

"Tonawanda Flier Freed from Japs" (pdf.) (C.E.5-5-45)

"400 Prisoners in Crossfire Aided by Native: Tonawanda Lad Freed by British in Burma" (pdf.) (C.E. 8-5-45)

"Athlete Cited for Gallantry on Battlefield" (pdf.) (C.E.12-12-45)

The Follow Up

Robert and Preston Niland were buried at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France.

After more than a year of presuming the death of their son Edward, the Nilands happily learned that he was still alive in a Burmese POW camp. Edward had parachuted from his plane and wandered the jungles before being captured. The POW camp had taken a severe physical toll on Edward who weighed only 80 pounds (from his original 170) when he returned to the U.S. Edward lived in Tonawanda until his death in 1984 at the age of 72.

Fritz Niland went on to earn a degree in dentistry at Georgetown University and worked for a year at a government dental program on Guam. Afterwards, he returned to Tonawanda and set up his own dental practice in Niagara Falls. Fritz was awarded a Bronze Star for his service. He died in 1983 in San Francisco at the age of 63.

Like Fritz, Tom Niland also went back to school and completed his degree at Canisius in 1947. Tom then served as Le Moyne College's first basketball coach and athletic director until his retirement in 1990. He was awarded a Silver Star for his actions in the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne. He died March 16, 2004 at the age of 83.

Joseph Niland's tank division became known as the Liberators after freeing the Dachau concentration camp. He eventually returned to Tonawanda where he finished his degree at Canisius in 1946 and continued pursuing his love of sports as a well known and respected coach of the Canisius basketball team. Niland posted the second-highest winning percentage in school history. After his years at Canisius, Joseph Niland also served as a basketball coach at local high schools and as a scout for such teams as baseball's Cincinnati Reds and basketball's Buffalo Braves. He was also an aide for the general manager of the Buffalo Bills.

The story of the Niland family still inspires and even influenced the writing of Stephen Spielberg's 1998 movie "Saving Private Ryan." Although a unique story in its tragedy, the Niland family was only one of many families in which several children simultaneously served for their country. Listed here are several articles pulled from Canisius's WWII Scrapbook that recount other local Canisius families and their stories.

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From Mark :

I just got a Copy of our little towns Historical paper, 'the Lumber shover', we get it every month. All about the history of our little town Tonawanda, N.Y. In this months edition, because its May, and Memorial Day at the end of it, they published a lot of information about the past wars.

Being from a small town you'd think I'd know everything about it, hah, I didn't know this. The Niland Brothers from Tonawanda. There were 4 sons, Robert, Preston, Edward and Frederick. Robert and Preston were killed on Normandy Robert was a pow of the Japanese and Frederick was the subject of the movie, "Saving Pirvate Ryan". The 101st Airborne.

In the 1950's there was a family of Nilands living on Delaware Avenue across from where we use to play ball during the summer. Not sure if its was the same family or not but their kids would play too.

I thought how ironic that this from our little town. I was just in awe.

This is the sacrifice our neighbors and friends have made to keep our country free. How can anyone call this selfish, and think there is a need to apologize for this.

Anyways here's the rest of the story.

I guess we got more than snow to brag about.

Mark

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Wild Thing's comment........

What awesome people have served our country and the stories that we learn about them should be told often and to as many as possible. Too often those on the left would rather thank a politican or a teacher when it is ONLY our Veterans and those serving now and those that gave their all.

....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.

Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67

Posted by Wild Thing at 05:48 AM | Comments (4)

May 15, 2010

Armed Forces Day Today!

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We celebrate our Armed Forces, in the work they do, the tasks they accomplish, the hope and freedom they bring to the world, and the outstanding people who comprise our military services.

We at Theodore's World do this each day but today we make a point to also show added respect as it is Armed Forces Day! Join us in honoring those tremendous individuals: The Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Guards Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard in their efforts to safeguard our freedoms, the world and our future!

Thank you to all the men and women who are serving and to all who actively support them. America has the best military in the world. Our troops have shouldered the burden, paid the price and protected us. They have never let us down. It has been the other way around on occassion. I hope we never let them down again.

And to our Veterans, each one of you at this Blog and beyond, to say Thank YOU! It seems so little for all you all have done. You all live in my heart and thank you for being in my life.

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom. And to our Wounded Warriors, God Bless them one and all!!

God Bless Our Republic

~ Wild Thing

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Posted by Wild Thing at 06:55 AM | Comments (4)

May 10, 2010

65th Anniversary V-E Day May 8th

Hear it as the news broke on NBC, May 8th 1945:

NBC: VE Day Special Broadcast (13.8mb .MP3)

At midnight on May 8, 1945, the guns finally fell silent in Europe after more than five-and-a-half years of war, to bring to an end the second cataclysmic conflict to involve the nations of the Continent and their overseas allies in a period of less than a quarter of a century.

To all those brave men & women who served for our country we thank you.

I am two days late on this, I am so sorry. But these men and women are never forgotten!!!

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World War II Victory in Europe Parade in Moscow on 65th Anniversary of Nazi Defeat

This year's parade is the largest commemoration since 1945, when Nazi Germany was defeated by the USSR and the Allies. For the first time ever, France, Britain and the U.S. have sent their own soldiers to parade past the Kremlin wall.

Posted by Wild Thing at 07:30 AM | Comments (5)

April 04, 2010

Happy Easter To All Of You

This is Andrea and Celine's performance of The Prayer. It is so beautiful.

A most blessed Easter to all.

This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Posted by Wild Thing at 06:55 AM | Comments (10)

March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patricks Day Everyone

"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone In the ranks of death you will find him; His father's sword he hath girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him; "Land of Song!" said the warrior bard, "Tho' all the world betrays thee, One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee!" -- Verse from the Minstrel Boy

THE MINSTREL BOY
by Thomas Moore

The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone
In the ranks of death you will find him;
His father's sword he hath girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;"
Land of Song!" said the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"

The Minstrel fell! But the foeman's chain
Could not bring that proud soul under;
The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again,
For he tore its chords asunder;
And said "No chains shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and brav'ry!
Thy songs were made for the pure and free,
They shall never sound in slavery!"

An emotionally stirring and inspirational song, The Minstrel Boy was written by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) who set it to the melody of The Moreen, and old Irish aire. It is believed by many that Moore composed the song as a memorial to several of his friends he had met while a student at Trinity College and who had participated in the 1798 rebellion of the United Irishmen. One died in prison, another was wounded, and a third captured and hung. The song originally consisted of two verses. Due to its popularity, the song was a favorite of the many Irishmen who fought during the U.S. Civil War, primarily on the Union side. It was at this time that a third verse was added by unknown authors:

The Minstrel Boy will return we pray
When we hear the news we all will cheer it,
The minstrel boy will return one day,
Torn perhaps in body, not in spirit.
Then may he play on his harp in peace,
In a world such as Heaven intended,
For all the bitterness of man must cease.

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This song plays over the closing credits of the 2001 movie " Black Hawk Down". It has appeared, in various recordings, in a surprising number of movies, including 'The Informer', 'Untamed Heart', 'Gods & Generals', 'Gettysburg', 'The Departed', 'Rough Riders', 'The Man Who Would Be King', as well as episodes of Star Trek:TNG and Star Trek:DS9.

Posted by Wild Thing at 06:55 AM | Comments (7)

February 14, 2010

Happy Valentines Day February 14th To All Our Troops, Veterans and One and All

Valentines Day is here, and hundreds of thousands of United States soldiers will be far away from their loved ones, unable to share an affectionate embrace, a romantic candlelight dinner, a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers.

Valentines Day is about showing the ones you love just how much they mean to you, and no one knows this better than friends and families of troops overseas.

So to all our Military, and their families, to all the Veterans, and to all of you that are friends of Theodore's World blog........ Angry Old Salt and I wish you all a special Valentines Day! Thank you for being in our lives and to the troops, thank you for all you do and for serving our country. Thank you for our freedom!

And Happy Valentines Day to each one of you that are such an important part of Theodore's World blog.

You are the song in my heart.

Wild Thing

This is for each of you that are so supportive of my blog and for your friendship. I love you all!!!!

Lyrics

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Posted by Wild Thing at 04:55 AM | Comments (13)

February 11, 2010

GOP Sends Satirical Valentine's Day E-Cards

You can check it out at this website.

http://www.gopvalentine.com/, you can also just click on them to see each one close up and not send one. I didn't send any of them but it was fun to check them out. LOL

At this posting it says that 159,554 Cards Sent so far.

Posted by Wild Thing at 03:40 AM | Comments (2)

December 31, 2009

Happy New Year 2010

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Guy goes into a bar, there's a robot bartender.

The robot says, "What will you have?" The guy says, "Martini." The robot brings back the best martini ever and says to the man, "What's your IQ?" The guy says, "168". The robot then proceeds to talk about physics, space exploration and medical technology.

The guy leaves, but he is curious, so he goes back into the bar. The robot bartender says," What will you have?" The guy says, "Martini". Again, the robot makes a great martini, gives it to the man and says, "What's your IQ?" The guy says, "100." The robot then starts to talk about NASCAR, Budweiser and John Deere tractors.

The guy leaves, but finds it very interesting, so he thinks he will try it one more time. He goes back into the bar. The robot says, "What will you have?" The guy says, "Martini", and the robot brings him another great martini. The robot then says, "What's your IQ?" The guy says, "Uh, about 50." The robot leans in real close and says, "So, you people still happy you voted for Obama?"

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A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

“She rolled her eyes and said, “You must be a Conservative.”

“I am,” replied the man. “How did you know?”

“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me.”

The man smiled and responded, “You must be a Liberal.”

“I am,” replied the balloonist. “How did you know?”

“Well,” said the man, “you don’t know where you are or where you are going. You’ve risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You’re in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it’s my fault.”

Posted by Wild Thing at 04:55 PM | Comments (9)

December 24, 2009

Getting Ready For Christmas

Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*

* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd! *

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS , not Happy Holiday !

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Wild Thing's comment.........

This year I have heard more Merry Christmas said then I have for several years. I have a feeling it is due to having a Muslim jerk in office as he destroys our country. Maybe people are finally waking up to seeing how PC and not speaking up has only given the go-ahead to the likes of Obama and his ilk.

......Thank you RAC for sending this to me.

RAC has a website that is awesome. 336th Assault Helicopter Company

13th Combat Aviation Battalion - 1st Aviation Brigade - Soc Trang, Republic of Vietnam

Posted by Wild Thing at 04:42 AM | Comments (4)

November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving To All My Wonderful Friends and Our Troops

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Thank you all for being not only a part of Theodore's World blog but also a very important
part of my life. Your kindness, help, input, the articles and other things you send to me, and support
and friendship has meant more to me then
I can ever repay.

As we spend this holiday with our family & friends we send special thanks to our
men & women in the armed forces, past & present for the freedoms we enjoy due to your
service & sacrifice! ~ Wild Thing

When the "Greatest Generation" passed through North Platte, Nebraska during WWII, they got a hug and a handshake, homemade cakes and cookies, and a moment of respite and prayer provided by thousands of volunteers from the surrounding communities.

Posted by Wild Thing at 05:55 AM | Comments (12)

October 31, 2009

Obama Not A Treat But The Worst Halloween Nightmare

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Posted by Wild Thing at 12:45 AM | Comments (1)

October 19, 2009

'Illegal Alien' Costume Under Fire

AP

A Southern California immigrant rights group on Friday asked Target stores and a costume company to stop selling a Halloween "illegal alien" costume it said is offensive to immigrants.

The costume features the mask of an alien with a green card and an orange jumpsuit with "illegal alien" written across the front.

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, wrote e-mails to Minneapolis-based Target and Wisconsin-based BuySeasons, Inc. calling the costume "distasteful, mean-spirited, and ignorant of social stigmas and current debate on immigration reform."
The group said it also planned to send letters to other companies that are selling the costume.
Lizette Olmos, national communications director for the League of United Latin American Citizens, called the costume "really disturbing," reported the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Target is removing the costume from the site after receiving several complaints, company spokesman Joshua Thomas said Friday. The store never intended to sell the outfit but included it in its online offerings by mistake, he said.

Wild Thing's comment......

LOL so what if the other things are not PC, how to witches feel about being a custom or Ghosts, heh heh or I bet there will be some Obama as the Joker masks this year. ....... maybe. haha

....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.

Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67

Posted by Wild Thing at 06:55 AM | Comments (13)

July 04, 2009

What America Is About and What the Declaration of Independence is Not

Remembering What the Declaration of Independence is Not

American Thinker

By Bruce Walker

When we celebrate the Fourth of July, we are celebrating one of the most important political documents in the history of the world. The Declaration is a statement to the world -- the people of the world was the audience -- about the very nature of government and its relationship to men. Sometimes we appreciate what this document was, but perhaps we need even more to appreciate what it was not.

It was not a poll-driven summation of current opinion. The men who gathered in Philadelphia did respect each other's talents and knowledge, but the document they signed was not not driven by the latest Gallup or Zogby poll results. What was right and true was not dependent upon popular opinion.

The signers did not even seek a vote of the people. No referendum was necessary for the Declaration of Independence and it might well have failed in some of the colonies. The "will of the people," so precious to demagogues, did not determine what was right and true. The people can fall for Hitler, adore Obama, and be enchanted by silly or wicked men. The purpose of government, as the Declaration clearly states, is to secure liberty and not to implement that dubious, inconstant sentiment "the will of the people."

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence represented the absolute opposite of "interest group politics" so slavishly worshipped in political science departments. They pledged their lives, their wealth, their liberty, and their honor -- everything -- on a toss of the dice. Often, even if the revolution won, these men personally lost. The game was not about them, their economic interest, or their political ambition. They won if America became a new order of liberty in the world. Interest politics would have led them all to make peace with the Crown. Moral principles led them to what Churchill would later call "blood, toil, sweat, and tears."

The brave men in Philadelphia were engaging in unconstitutional action. Britain had a constitution, albeit a largely unwritten one, and Jefferson knew that he was defying our equivalent of the Supreme Court. He and his colleagues defied the moral power of a system which no longer treasured liberty above advantage or caprice. Rulers making decisions which did not really affect them, living thousands of miles from their subjects, lacked the moral authority to wield law.

Moral authority was the heart of the Declaration as well. It lacked a separation of church and state and instead there was a unity of God and government. All men were created equal by God. That is the foundational point of the Declaration from which all else flows like the spring of liberty. If all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, politics is clear and simple. If that is true, then -- of course! -- protecting these inalienable rights is the only reason that governments are instituted among men. These were truths which, in the magical pen of Jefferson, the brave authors and signers held to be "self-evident." There is a Creator. He made us. He made us, specifically, free in body and in conscience. We are not sheep or some sort of oddly self-domesticated animals. We are creatures in the image of a Creator, unique in reality, and given the power to choose.

The men who wrote and signed the Declaration are all dead, long, long, dead -- they never expected otherwise. If we met their ghosts today, they would not ask about our technological marvels or our global economy or our medical breakthroughs or space travel. If we told them about our partisan debates or the new King in Washington, they might cringe like a father over an addled child.

But when speaking of what they wrote in 1776 -- signing their own death warrants, in some respects -- they might ask us this: "We did not mean to confuse you. That is why the words we chose were so clear. You are free creatures of God. Government is your creature, your chattel, your tool -- nothing more. We studied history long before we wrote our brief statement of liberty. You own government or rather the spirit of free men owns government. You fret about ‘stuff.' Why? We are all dead now, as we knew we would be. But we chose to die free, following our consciences - that is the only real choice in life. What confused you?" The principle of liberty is easy. All it requires is courage and honor.

Wild Thing's comment.....

Awesome video and the article is fantastic too.

Posted by Wild Thing at 07:55 AM | Comments (7)

Happy Independence Day ~ Happy 233 Years Birthday America!

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Two Hundred Thirty-Three Years of Freedom THANK YOU to our Veterans and our Troops Today!!

Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue

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America: a tribute to heroes - God bless the USA sung by Lee Greenwood

I am crying so hard. Dear God, help us, save America, we love her so much. And so many have sacrificed and given their all to make us free and keep us free. They deserve our country to be FREE more then any of us. Each day we see our country disappearing and evil men and women doing her harm and are bent on destroying the very freedom that has set us apart from any other country. ~ Wild Thing

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John Adams wrote this historic letter to his wife:

“I am apt to believe that this day will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.”

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It was Richard Henry Lee of Virginia who first proposed drawing up a document that formally announced America's Independence from Great Britain.

On June 11, 1776, a drafting committee was formed and Lee was called away because of his wife's sickness. Lee's good friend and fellow Virginian Thomas Jefferson took Lee's place on the committee to draft the document and became the author of The Declaration of Independence.

Jefferson's document was delivered to the Continental Congress on July 1. It was debated and vetted by the delegates on on July 2nd and 3rd. And on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was formally approved.

It was printed overnight and the very next morning, a stack of copies was delivered to the waiting delegates. Others were prepared to be sent for public reading to each of the state assemblies and to the commanding officers of the Continental troops.

The Declaration was read aloud in courtyards across the land. When John Nixon read the document in Philadelphia to a crowd waiting in front of the Pennsylvania State House, similar reading were happening across the land. In many ways, this dissemination of news was more proficient than today.

Important documents were read in their entirety without comment and were later debated in pubs, homes and meetings. Now we hear snippets and opinions and rarely read the entire document. We chastise Congress for not reading legislation before voting on it and yet we rarely read these documents. Truthfully, they are not as easily available as they were in 1776.

But that document gave birth to the greatest political and social experiment of all time - America and modern democracy.

When you celebrate with fireworks and barbecues this weekend, remember your freedoms and the people who have fought and died to keep you free.

Remember those men who had the courage to claim Independence 233 years ago.

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Aaron Tippin - Where The Stars And Stripes And Eagles Fly

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A Tribute to our awesome Vietnam Vets.....The Song is "The Wall" by John McDermott .....For all who served in Vietnam, I thank you. The Patriot Guard Riders will always ride for you.

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Martina McBride - God Bless America

Posted by Wild Thing at 07:50 AM | Comments (5)

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

The hymn appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862. It was sung at the funerals of British statesman Winston Churchill, American senator Robert Kennedy, and American presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and a Month after 911.

Posted by Wild Thing at 07:47 AM | Comments (8)

June 21, 2009

~ Happy Fathers Day ~

To all Team Theodore Fathers, and all military Dad's...a very happy Fathers Day to you!
May God bless and protect all of our brave soldiers that are keeping America safe on this Father's day.
*hugs* ~ Wild Thing

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". . .a small boy felt himself lifted from bed. Then he was borne in his father’s arms, with the swiftness of a dream, down the porch steps, out onto the beach.

"‘Watch!’ his father said. And incredibly, as he spoke, one of the stars moved...it flashed across the astonished heavens. And before the wonder of this could fade, another star leaped from its place, and then another, plunging toward the restless sea. ‘What is it?’ the child whispered. ‘Shooting stars,’ his father said. ‘. . . I thought you’d like to see the show.’"

"Decades have passed, but I remember that night still, because I was the fortunate 7-year-old whose father believed that a new experience was more important for a small boy than an unbroken night’s sleep. . . . What I remember is the night the stars fell, the day we rode in a caboose, the time we tried to skin an alligator, the telegraph we made that really worked.

". . . Or the time we explored a cave, and at one point far under ground, snapped off our flashlights and sat there in darkness and silence so profound that it was like being in the void before the beginning of time. After a while Father said, in a whisper, ‘Listen! You can hear the mountain breathing!’

"I remember the books left by my bed that pushed back my horizons and sometimes actually changed my life.

"Did my father deliberately set out to manufacture Father’s Days for his children? I doubt it. . . . I don’t think he was primarily seeking to instruct or inspire or enlighten us. He was satisfying his own curiosity–and letting us in on his discoveries. He was indulging his own sense of wonder–and letting us share it. . . and when this happens, there is no satisfaction in the world quite like it.

"My father had . . . the gift of opening doors for his children, of leading them into areas of splendid newness. This subtle art . . . doesn’t necessarily require a great deal of time. It simply involves doing things more often with our children instead of for them or to them.

"This is the stuff of which real Father’s Days are made . . . and when it happens, there is no satisfaction in the world quite like it."

-Arthur Gordon - "A Touch of Wonder" © 1974

Posted by Wild Thing at 07:55 AM | Comments (7)

Fathers Day is Special for Deployed Grandfather and Grandson

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Staff Sgt. Paul Weekley, Pensacola, Fla., radio operator, B Company, 146th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, Forward Operating Base Delta and his grandson, Spc. Cory Lincourt, Boston, Mass., avenger crew member, E Battery, 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery, 108th Brigade, Camp Liberty, look down at the coins they recieved together after meeting a brigadier general in the Al Faw Palace, June 13

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Deployed Grandfather, Grandson Celebrate Father's Day

by Pvt. Karin Leach

CAMP LIBERTY

When Spc. Cory Lincourt prepared for his deployment he never imagined his grandfather, Staff Sgt. Paul Weekley, would also be deploying to Iraq.

"I was pretty shocked when I got the call from my grandmother saying, 'Oh, your grandfather is going to Iraq,'" Lincourt, Boston, Mass., avenger crew member, E Battery, 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery, 108th Brigade, Camp Liberty said.

The duo hoped to see one another while in Iraq, but being deployed to different locations made it difficult to coordinate.

"I was able to come to Camp Victory on a mission we had and my plan was to just find him," Weekley, Pensacola, Fla., radio operator, B Company, 146th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, Forward Operating Base Delta said. "I spent a whole day just walking all over Liberty trying to find him."

After a series of phone calls Weekley was able to make contact with Lincourt and set up a time to see one another. The two embraced with a hug after a year and a half apart and started right in with past memories and inside jokes.

"I didn't expect to be able to celebrate Father's Day with my grandfather," Lincourt said. "It's definitely cool to be able to see him in Iraq."

The two won't be spending Father's Day together but, were happy to celebrate it a little early.

"I'm very proud of my grandson, and I couldn't ask for anything better to celebrate Father's Day," Weekley said.

Weekley's eyes were wide with awe as his grandson showed him around Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory. They stopped often to take pictures together on balconies, beneath chandeliers and in front of a flag in the rotunda. After touring Palace the two headed to back to Camp Liberty so Lincourt could introduce his grandfather to his unit.

"Growing up I heard all these stories from my great-grandmother about my family's military history," Lincourt said.

Lincourt and Weekley are the most recent soldiers in their family's history of military service dating back to the Spanish American War. Growing up Lincourt's hero was his uncle, a prisoner of war during World War II.

"Not too many grandchildren get to say, 'my grandfather served in Vietnam and now we are serving in the same war together,'" Lincourt said.

Wild Thing's comment........

GREAT story, I love this. I am so glad they got to see each other and spend time together.

Posted by Wild Thing at 07:47 AM | Comments (6)

Last Fathers Day Puget Sound and Today Baghdad

Lt. Col. Thomas Killgore, father, deputy Multi-National Corps - Iraq command chaplain, and son, Sgt. Andrew Killgore, euphonium musician, MNC-I Special Troops Battalion Band, hold physical representations of their jobs with the Army; Lt. Col. Killgore holds a bible while Sgt. Killgore holds a euphonium Camp Victory, June 18.

Father's Day in Baghdad

Story by Pvt. Karin Leach

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq

While most fathers in the U.S. sit down to share a home cooked meal with their families, Lt. Col. Thomas Killgore and his son, Sgt. Andrew Killgore, are planning to sit down in a dining facility at Camp Victory, Baghdad.

Sgt. Killgore, Colombia, S.C., bandsman, Multi-National Corps-Iraq Special Troops Battalion Band, performs with his euphonium to bring Soldiers back to happy memories they have experienced.

Lt. Col. Killgore, Colombia, S.C., deputy MNC-I command chaplain, enjoys seeing his son perform in the band for other Soldiers entertainment.

"As a father it's gratifying being able to see him do something he enjoys for Soldiers," Lt. Col. Killgore said. "I minister to the heart, and he plays for the soul. So we make a good team."

When Sgt. Killgore found out I Corps and his dad were deploying he put in for a transfer to Ft. Lewis from Ft. Knox. A few good words from his father on his behalf, combined with the bands need for a euphonium musician and Sgt. Killgore was on his way to Iraq with I Corps.

"I think the coolest thing about having my dad here is being able to just hang out and relax with him," Sgt. Killgore said. "What better way to be deployed than to be deployed with your father?"

Often when the duo gets together teasing occurs.

"What are you getting me for Father's Day," Lt. Col. Killgore asked.

"Maybe I got it already." His son replied after grinning.

"Yeah, a few drinks from the chow hall don't count," Lt. Col. Killgore said, followed by a laugh.

Though the Killgore family usually sits down near a lake to share laughs and gifts, Lt. Col. Killgore isn't too upset about this Father's Day being different.

"Last Father's Day was spent on my deck, overlooking Puget Sound and everyone giving me ugly socks," Lt. Col Thomas Killgore said. "This is probably the Father's Day I will remember most. Because this Father's day is not only a date but a snap shot of all the values and beliefs I've taught my son that he now is putting in action."

Wild Thing's comment.....

I like this ....... "This is probably the Father's Day I will remember most. Because this Father's day is not only a date but a snap shot of all the values and beliefs I've taught my son that he now is putting in action."

Posted by Wild Thing at 07:44 AM

May 25, 2009

Memorial Day

"Tell them, tell them when you get home that I gave all of my tomorrows so they could have today!"

Those are the words on a tombstone, far across the Pacific, of someone who gave up his life for our future.

Were those words uttered so that those of us who are left could just enjoy our lives without "getting involved", or were they written to remind us that the work of freedom and liberty is never done?

Were those words written to suggest to us that it is not our job nor our responsibility to keep alive what they fought and died for, or were they written to remind us that we were given the opportunity of life so that we would continue to defend, and keep alive the memory of what they gave their last full measure for?

Let us here today, tonight, tomorrow, next month and next year - remember these gallant defenders of our freedom.

Most were not heroes as defined by the most hallowed Medal of Honor nor even as defined by the silver or bronze star.

They were ALL Heroes

Yes they were heroes, because without hesitation they fought for our country when they were asked to defend her.

They left their families, friends and good times behind and went to fight for our freedom without hesitation.

Some -- never even fired their weapons because they were killed before they ever reached the beach.

But they were heroes because they were there, ready to fight for America - for family, flag and country.

Most were scared to death as they prepared to meet the enemy. Their stomachs were turned upside down and they prayed to God and wished they were with their moms, dads and sweethearts rather than being where they were.

But they were where they were, fighting an enemy that was threatening their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They were fighting an enemy because they believed in America, they loved Her flag and they wanted to protect Americans' right to worship as they chose.

They were there, without hesitation, fighting for what they believed in and dying for what they believed in so you and I could live the way we choose in a free country. But they did not die so that we would stop fighting for what they believed and died for.

They fought and died knowing that we, the living, would go on fighting for that same freedom, that same country, that same flag and for that same right to worship as we choose. Abraham Lincoln, at Gettysburg, said:

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."

It is for us the living to go on defending what they died for. It is for us the living not to allow history to forget what they gave up all their tomorrows for.

If when we attacked Guadalcanal and landed at Salerno, we found that "they" were going to fight back, we didn't give up because they fought back. We continued to fight because we knew our cause was right!

When Americans rode in the landing craft before storming the beaches at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Sicily, Anzio, Normandy, Peleliu, Saipan, Iowa Jima, Okinawa, Inchon and many other places we had never heard of before and when they fought in North Africa, the Philippines, Italy, France, Bastonne, Germany, Korea and Vietnam -- most were scared to death; their stomachs were turned upside down and they wanted to be back home with their loved ones.

But that did not stop them from attacking America's enemies bravely and without hesitation. They fought, and many died, but they did not give up because someone shot back at them.

It is for us the living to continue to defend and keep known what they fought and died for -- what they gave up all of their tomorrows for.

They did not die so that we could become complacent; nor did they die so that when we, the living, reached a single obstacle --- we should quit

They died knowing that we would go on defending their actions, defending history and defending what they gave up all their tomorrow's for.

If WE don't remember ---if WE don't defend what they fought and died for and what we fought for -- who will remember? Who will care?

How many of them and you who fought for our flag and our country and remember the feeling as Old Glory" was being raised over a piece of land we fought for ---- and many died for?

How many remember seeing or hearing about our valiant warriors, who were fighting on Iowa Jima, as they stood and cheered when they saw the flag being raised over Mt. Suribachi.

We take this time on Memorial Day to salute our Fallen Heroes who through the history of our country have fought and died for all of us.

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In ithe Shadow of the blade, the WHOP WHOP WHOP of the Huey was Vietnam's soundtrack, echoing through the landscape like a drum call to war. Most Veterans will tell you they can sense an approaching Huey long before anyone else can either see or hear it.

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Airborne-Hymn To The Fallen

"Blood on the Risers" is an American paratrooper song from World War II. It is sung by the United States 82nd Airborne Division, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division and the United States 101st Airborne Division. This song has been featured on the television mineseries Band of Brothers and the video game Brothers in Arms. Sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", the song tells of the final jump of a paratrooper whose parachute does not work. This results in him falling to his death.

Wild Thing's comment...........

In Memory of all those that served !

....Thank you Jack for sending this to me.



Army Combat Engineers
Quang Tri & Chu Lai '68 -'69
67-69
United States Army
1965-1971
Vietnam
1968-1969

Jack's blog is Conservative Insurgent

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Wild Thing's comment..........

May all who observe this day, remember and never forget everyday the rest of the year as well.

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....Thank you Richard for sending this to me.

Posted by Wild Thing at 05:55 AM | Comments (16)

May 24, 2009

Special Words from Ronald Reagan ~ Memorial Day

"Once each May, amid the quiet hills and rolling lanes and breeze-brushed trees of Arlington National Cemetery, far above the majestic Potomac and the monuments and memorials of our Nation's Capital just beyond, the graves of America's military dead are decorated with the beautiful flag that in life these brave souls followed and loved.

This scene is repeated across our land and around the world, wherever our defenders rest. Let us hold it our sacred duty and our inestimable privilege on this day to decorate these graves ourselves -- with a fervent prayer and a pledge of true allegiance to the cause of liberty, peace, and country for which America's own have ever served and sacrificed. ... Our pledge and our prayer this day are those of free men and free women who know that all we hold dear must constantly be built up, fostered, revered and guarded vigilantly from those in every age who seek its destruction.

We know, as have our Nation's defenders down through the years, that there can never be peace without its essential elements of liberty, justice and independence. Those true and only building blocks of peace were the lone and lasting cause and hope and prayer that lighted the way of those whom we honor and remember this Memorial Day.

To keep faith with our hallowed dead, let us be sure, and very sure, today and every day of our lives, that we keep their cause, their hope, their prayer, forever our country's own." --Ronald Reagan

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Wild Thing's comment.........

Our country has been truly blessed to have such great men and women serve in our military. I love what President Reagan said, he knew why we have been able to live in the land of the free.

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......Thank you RAC for sending this to me.

RAC has a website that is awesome. 336th Assault Helicopter Company

13th Combat Aviation Battalion - 1st Aviation Brigade - Soc Trang, Republic of Vietnam

Posted by Wild Thing at 05:50 AM | Comments (7)

Remembering Our Heroes

An Emmy award documentary of a powerful and emotional story about school nurse Marlene Horton's experiences during the Viet Nam War.

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Wild Thing's comment..........

Thank you Marlene Horton for being there for our Heroes. You are a Hero too.

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....Thank you Jack for sending this to me.

United States Army
1965-1971
Army Combat Engineers
Quang Tri & Chu Lai '68 -'69
67-69

Jack's blog is Conservative Insurgent

Posted by Wild Thing at 05:49 AM | Comments (5)

Cartoonist Honoring Memorial Day

And Happy Valentines Day to each one of you
that are such an important part of
Theodore's World blog.

You are the song in my heart.

Wild Thing

We will open the book.

Its pages are blank.

We are going to put words on them ourselves.

The book is called "Opportunity" and its first

chapter is New Year's Day.

~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce