The Average Age Of Military Man Is 19 Years Old

[Witchy Red]

Thank you Mike for giving us this opportunity to thank those who serve.....

To those who serve, Thank you for protecting us and for giving idiots like Cindy Sheehan the right to disrespect her son and his fellow service members....

[handymanmike92683]

Here's........ Some Cold Hard Facts
on Iraq for you today.
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Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?

Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi
people?

Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under
rehabilitation, 263 schools are now under construction and 38 new schools
have been built in Iraq?

Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20
Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all
currently operating?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in
January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational?! They have 5- 100-foot
patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons,
which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under
Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add
16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando
Battalion?

Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained
and equipped police officers?

Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over
3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq?
They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad
stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical
facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received
the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary
school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and
phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio
stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a
televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!

WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?
*
*
OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!

Instead of reflecting our love for our country and the incredible job our
people are doing in Iraq, we get photos of flag burning , incidents at Abu
Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades.
Instead of hearing reports on the amazing progress being made, all we hear
is suggestions that it's time to get out.

The lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes. It is
intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus
minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage American
citizens. It appears to be working. You'd better question the motives of
the the majority of the mainstream American media -- (with the possible
exception of Fox News)......and.........whose side are they on!

The above facts are verifiable on Department of Defense web sites.

[Witchy Red]

Great Post Mike.... sent this to my daughter because she always complains that the media doesn't tell the story...

[handymanmike92683]

When you see the flag unfolding, Gently waving in the air; Look closely at the stars and stripes, And you will see them there. In the red, you see the blood they shed, So our country could be free; Each life who gave is in the stripe, That speaks of liberty. In the white you see the valor, Of those we won't forget; The pristine clearness of each stripe, A silent witness to each Vet. And there behind the fifty stars, A solemn field of blue; A tribute to the tears we shed, For the brave, the tried, the true. So, when you see the stars and stripes, The red, the white, the blue; Remember those it represents, The brave, the tried, the true. Allison Chambers Coxsey, 2000

"What Is A Vet?" Some Veterans bear visible signs of their service... A missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a Vet just by looking. What is a vet? He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She - or he - is the Nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL. He is the Quantico Drill Instructor teaching marines to watch each other's backs. He is the parade riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket... palsied now and aggravatingly slow...who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being...a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say "Thank You". That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU"

[Witchy Red]

Mike, I wish that all military personnel past and present and future could see the items that you post here.... Another Great Post.

[handymanmike92683]

THANK YOU WITCHY RED
I WISH ALL OF THEM COULD TOO
THERE HAS BEEN QUITE A FEW THAT HAVE
SINCE THIS HAS GOT POD TWICE NOW
FEEL FREE TO ADD ANYTHING YOU LIKE
AND THANX AGAIN

Originally Posted by Witchy Red

Mike, I wish that all military personnel past and present and future could see the items that you post here.... Another Great Post.

[Witchy Red]

Decided that I would like to see this back at the top.... Oklahoma decided to honor the Oklahoma women who serve and who have served in the Armed Forces Yesterday. They had a luncheon and one of the women who was interviewed, was a WWII Army veteran. She is now 85 and joined to make her father proud because she didn't have any brothers.

[handymanmike92683]

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk
across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?

21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute,
which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face
to begin his return walk and why?

21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1

3. Why are his gloves wet?

His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time
and if not, why not?

He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb.
After his march across the path, he executes an about face
and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every thirty minutes,
twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be
between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30."
Other requirements of the Guard:
They must commit 2 years of life to guard the
tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb,
and cannot drink any alcohol on or
off duty for the rest of their lives.
They cannot swear in public for the
rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform
{fighting} or the tomb in any way.
After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn
on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb.
There are only 400 presently worn.
The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their
lives or give up the wreath pin.

The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat
and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the
top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.
There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform.
Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.

The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor
watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid
to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
A guard must memorize who they are
and where they are interred. Among the notables are:
President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer}
and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most
decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.

Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for
guard duty.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our
US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm.
On the ABC
evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the
hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They
respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin,
marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding
the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be
afforded to a service person.
The tomb has been patrolled continuously,
24/7, since 1930.

God Bless and keep them safe.

We can be very proud of our young men and women
in the service no matter where they serve.

[Mydogma8mycatma]

Very well said Mike,in 83 I was nineteen and in a strange land and watched my freinds die for poeple who don't understand how great this country is.And don't beleive in defending it.
you are a honerable man.
Forever faithful.
U.S.M.C. 82-92 full duty.

[handymanmike92683]

U.S.A.FOREVER
WE SUPPORT YOU !
PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT
CLICK ON LINK BELOW
AND WAIT FOR IT TO LOAD

http://www.usaforever.org/flash/WeSupportU.htm