No words or comments necessary… Please, just watch it…

LINK

Some of you may have seen this – it was my first. If it is old news I apologize….

Glass Onion:---Good Post/Sad Post---

Good for her...great effort, but...

now I feel sad for the Panchots ,,,my son got back safe last January, but their son didn't...

I'm reminded of a scene in the film Patton wherein he is walking behind a wagon bearing the body of his aide, killed in North Africa. You hear the General reading the letter he sent to the Captain's parents: ..." I do not know why such fine young men have to die...?..."

That IS pretty freakin' awesome.

I get pretty emotional, myself, when I read about the deaths of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. Sometimes I wonder if the emotion is a PTSD thing... then I think, No, I'm just an old softie.

I do portraits, too. If I knew how, I'd post some pictures of my paintings.

Blessings BillBright,

I knew it, you are an old softie.

Get a digital camera and take a picture then download from the digital camera and upload to one of the social networking sites.

I will help if you are ready to try. I would love to view your work.

LJ

quote:

Originally posted by billbright:
That IS pretty freakin' awesome.

I get pretty emotional, myself, when I read about the deaths of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. Sometimes I wonder if the emotion is a PTSD thing... then I think, No, I'm just an old softie.

I do portraits, too. If I knew how, I'd post some pictures of my paintings.

Greetings Bill, though there is lack in your Public Profile, I gather, being retired and the time spent in the different Services, you have spent some time overseas or in some conflict arena. I say this to bring out something I have observed about you. You do have a great deal of compassion for those that serve in the Military. With this said, though you say that you do not believe in Jesus Christ in like manner as a believer, you and Jesus Christ do have something in common.

You stated, "...I wonder if the emotion is a PTSD thing...then I think, no, I'm just an old softie...".

In Scripture, it talks about how Jesus "went", "saw", and "was moved with compassion" (Matt. 9:35-36). You also as Jesus Christ, because of your time in Service, went, saw, and was moved with compassion. And for this I truly admire you.

"Just an old softie", I think not.

quote:

Originally posted by Mario72:
Greetings Bill, though there is lack in your Public Profile, I gather, being retired and the time spent in the different Services, you have spent some time overseas or in some conflict arena. I say this to bring out something I have observed about you. You do have a great deal of compassion for those that serve in the Military. With this said, though you say that you do not believe in Jesus Christ in like manner as a believer, you and Jesus Christ do have something in common.

You stated, "...I wonder if the emotion is a PTSD thing...then I think, no, I'm just an old softie...".

In Scripture, it talks about how Jesus "went", "saw", and "was moved with compassion" (Matt. 9:35-36). You also as Jesus Christ, because of your time in Service, went, saw, and was moved with compassion. And for this I truly admire you.

"Just an old softie", I think not.

As my son is gearing up for # 5 over there, I watched this with tears streaming.

The blessings that this artist sends to families is remarkable!

God bless the souls of the fallen. Lord Keep their families strong.

quote:

Originally posted by Cinder_Ellie:
As my son is gearing up for # 5 over there, I watched this with tears streaming.

The blessings that this artist sends to families is remarkable!

God bless the souls of the fallen. Lord Keep their families strong.

Cinder_Ellie my prayers for your Son -You and your Family...keep us informed...

From whitetiger:

quote:

Cinder_Ellie my prayers for your Son -You and your Family...keep us informed...

Thanks for your concern, but I never know anything until he gets back...then I still know nothing, except that he is home. All else is never discussed.

It's a horrible way to age

Whitetiger,

Please keep the prayers coming for my son. I so thank you for that.

quote:

Originally posted by Cinder_Ellie:
Whitetiger,

Please keep the prayers coming for my son. I so thank you for that.

Amein...

quote:

Originally posted by Cinder_Ellie:
As my son is gearing up for # 5 over there, I watched this with tears streaming.

The blessings that this artist sends to families is remarkable!

God bless the souls of the fallen. Lord Keep their families strong.

Damn! Somebody with more time than me over there.

Tell him to keep his head down and come back in one piece.

Originally posted by thorin001:

quote:

Damn! Somebody with more time than me over there.

Tell him to keep his head down and come back in one piece.

Thank you thorin001. The well wishes mean alot to me. I'm standing in agreement. Head down and come home safely.

I'm praying for the same for you, if you are to go again yourself.

I read the link with tears...It was both happy and sad.

I have an undying passion and a hurt heart for all of our troops in harm's way and their families, sitting home ever wondering...

My prayers Cindy..Thorin..Keep the faith..God Bless you and yours and just know you are in my prayers.

GunghoNavyWidow

Just wanted to say Hi...been praying for you...

quote:

Originally posted by whtetiger:
GunghoNavyWidow

Just wanted to say Hi...been praying for you...

Hi Smitty...HUGZZ.. Thank you and I pray for you and yours as well...Did you get my email? I sent it to your other e-mail addy I love the pic!!

Yahshua be with you my brother...

quote:

Originally posted by Mario72:
Greetings Bill, though there is lack in your Public Profile, I gather, being retired and the time spent in the different Services, you have spent some time overseas or in some conflict arena. I say this to bring out something I have observed about you. You do have a great deal of compassion for those that serve in the Military. With this said, though you say that you do not believe in Jesus Christ in like manner as a believer, you and Jesus Christ do have something in common.

You stated, "...I wonder if the emotion is a PTSD thing...then I think, no, I'm just an old softie...".

In Scripture, it talks about how Jesus "went", "saw", and "was moved with compassion" (Matt. 9:35-36). You also as Jesus Christ, because of your time in Service, went, saw, and was moved with compassion. And for this I truly admire you.

"Just an old softie", I think not.

You have my most profound thanks, brother Mario, for you have quite a way of saying things. I guess pain sometimes clouds my abilities that way.

I have spent years in the Army "married" to a radar scope. Why? Because it was my duty, of course. Anyone who believes that needs to talk to me about the "beachfront Lunar property" I'm trying to sell off. No, I did my duty and I did it well because I had a nation of American brothers and sisters that needed defending! We literally guarded America's skies from enemy surprise. While I was on duty there was not a single incident of an enemy bomber, spyplane, fighter, missile, or unauthorized commercial aircraft to ever damage America in any way because it ventured into American airspace. We did our jobs; we stayed at our posts and manned our radars and rockets while America Loved Lucy or just watched Johnny Carson, or just plain went to sleep.

But what I couldn't understand is why not one person that I knew personally, not ONE ever told me or gave me a card, phone call or a letter thanking me for the services rendered. Not even after I shipped out to Okinawa and spent even more long lonely hours on those missile systems did anyone thank me.

Then one night the ENTERPRISE put in. She had just returned from a combat tour in 'Nam and she's so big that they couldn't dock her at the Navy base at White Beach. NO no! She dropped anchor out in Buckner Bay and tide levels rose about 3 feet for the next week or so. Nobody had to tell me she was in our waters. You guessed it! Every missile battery on that end of the island came up "hot" the minute she got in range. But most of the guys were glad to jump on those radar sets so that our Navy guys could get some much-needed R&R. Shucks, we even had people coming up on the radar sets so they could use the 10X scopes we used to calibrate our equipment just to look that big hummer over. But nobody thanked me. Not even the guys in the Navy who were reaping the benefits of the extra duty we had to pull so that they could stand-down. Not one ever said, "thanks buddy. We'll do the same for you sometime."

Finally my tour was up and I flew back to the land of the free because I'd spent many long - long hours ensuring that it stayed that way. I flew so far that I had to live the same day over before I mustered out. But there were no bands and no parades to welcome me home. Nobody even said "thank you". Do you remember those 30 days of annual leave I was supposed to get? The Army paid me for 30 days leave because I had never drawn them and probably couldn't have taken 'em if I wanted to. Duty was so demanding that the absolute most leave I ever heard of anyone getting was 15 days, and the poor guy probably had to go for another 2 years before he ever got another day. Yes sir! We were on the job both day and night! When the sun went down our radars came up and we got to spend another long lonely night ensuring that America would still be there at dawn's early light! But nobody said so much as one "Thank You," to me.

Well maybe we did our job too good. Maybe we needed another war - a shooting war - where people actually get hurt, for folks to realize that it isn't all fun and games. Here we are some 40 years down-range from when I called it quits and in the last year I've had more people - people I don't even know - to walk up and actually say "Thank you." I don't want to see the boxes and the body bags coming off the airplanes. Those are someone's sons or husbands. But maybe that's what it takes before some people can wake up and realize, "hey that guy over there wearing that uniform - did I remember thank him for the job he's doing?" America forgot that once, you know. Does that video spell out the price we're now paying for that?

And now it's time for me to say thanks to you, brother Mario.
Awaiting His return.

John, welcome home, job well done. I have always had the deepest respect for all, no matter their specialty, that served their country in the Military.

Being spiritually minded, I have always compared the military and it's many jod duties with (I Corinthians 12). Just as certain jod duties should not be the basis for honoring one over another, spiritual gifts should not be the basis for honoring a person or considering one believer as more important than another (vv.22-24). Rather each person is placed in Christ's body according to God's will (v. 18), and all the members are important for the spiritual well-being and proper functioning of the body. Spiritual gifts must be used, not in pride or for personal exaltation, but with the sincere desire to help others and with a heart which genuinely cares for one another. "But now are they many members, yet but one body...That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the menbers suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it..." (vv. 20 & 25-26).

Militarily, I had always relayed to the Platoon that while inside the wire, whenever it should hit the fan, all manned the berm regardless of rank and MOS, for all had a finger to squeeze the trigger.

Speaking of being welcomed home, being a Vietnam and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran, I have seen both sides of the coin. As you stated, there was no fanfare when I returned home in 1969 but the welcome we received in 2004 was very emotional. As we landed, the Airport Fire Department had two firetrucks, one on each side of the jet plane, shoot a stream of water over us from its water cannons as we taxied up to the terminal. As we came off the plane, not only were our families awaiting us but the terminal was full to the brim of people waiting to shake our hands and give us big bear hugs (my eyes are welling up as I relate that day). May it be this way till the job is finally done.