Broken Wings

Gentle Readers I wanted to leave you a quick post to say that I will be away for a while and to ask each of you for your prayers while I am gone.

Tuesday night I learned that my best friend of 12 years has been hospitalized with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia and is now literally in the fight of her life. Multiple chemotherapy treatments have done nothing to slow down the devestating effects of this disease and I can't say more without returning to the perpetual tears that I have finally held at bay for a moment to write this post. Her prognosis is mixed depending on who's giving it but no matter what happens, it is my intention to be with her every step of the way, holding her hand as she has done so many times for me in the years of our friendship.

I will try to post updates when I can, but for now time with her is a gift that I intend to treasure with every breath. I ask all of you to do the same with your loved ones and let them know how precious they are to you every single day. You will never regret those simple gestures, only the times you failed to make them.

Take Care & Be Safe
Angel

National Support Our Troops Day (A Follow up)

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how days like this that are set aside to honor our Nation's Bravest so often get turned into something petty and insulting.
Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Independence Day and Flag Day - just to name a few, have been turned into little more than four day weekends and Dept. Store White Sales. Most folks allow these days to pass without a fleeting thought as to their true meaning or the ultimate sacrifices men have made so that they could enjoy their backyard BBQ and indulgent excursions at the mall.
Maybe I'm lucky...No, I'm more than that. I'm sincerely blessed that I was raised in a family that taught me the price of days like these. They taught me to celebrate those whose blood made these days possible for future generations they did not even know. They taught me to celebrate and remember THEM.
Now as it happens, I have my own personal reasons for revering our servicemen and women. It too came at a bloody price, as honor often does. I lost 343 of my brothers on September 11th, 2001, and when that happened our newest generation of heroes, OUR American troops stepped up.
They new that I and many others wanted retaliation like the world has never seen. I suspect some of them wanted the same. And yet, as American Fighting Forces often do, they delivered far more than what I and many of my nation cried out for. Not only did they demand a reckoning, they set out to ensure that our professional paths did not cross again unless we wished them to. They have delivered on both counts. They took the fight to the enemy so that my people fight fire and save lives in our neighborhoods rather than fighting bombs and losing lives in our streets. They deserve the gratitude of EVERY person in this land for keeping them safe.

This picture has always reminded me of what those brave men and women did and continue to do as they came to us with their own gratitude and said "Thanks Guys, You did a great job, but we'll take it from here. I am also lucky enough to be loved by one of those soldiers who went into combat multiple times so that my crew didn't have to. He may not know it, but I thank him for it every day. And the thing that gets me the most is that he thanks me for doing MY job as if his was the average 8 to 5 day at the office. That, my friends, is gratitude and humility beyond measure.
I won't go into how gratitude seems to have an awfully broad interpretation among certain members of congress and Hollywood, I don't have to. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen don't NEED our thanks - they do what they do because it is THE RIGHT THING TO DO! But need it or not, I've thanked everyone I know, active duty or Veteran in the past two days because without them, I believe we could all be at war.

I hope that all of you are taking the time to thank them too.

Just think how many BBQ's and White Sales that would ruin for Jane Fonda and her friends!

Laughing Wolf's Thoughts On a Marine

BLACKFIVE has a wonderful story Some Thoughts On A Marine posted by Laughing Wolf.
This one hit so close to home for me that I dare anyone to read it without memories of their own parents coming to the forefront of their mind.

I was raised in the best of both worlds when it comes to my own parents. My biological father was an NCO Killed in Vietnam with the 101st AIRBORNE. I was then adopted by the man I call "DAD" who was also an NCO during the Korean War. He then left the Army to become an officer in the Marine Corps. He was and remains an NCO at heart and I will always consider myself to be an NCO's kid, but I am also very proud to be a Marine's Daughter and I hope that I have made both of them half as proud of me as I am of them.

Thank you LW for sharing this bit of your family with us.

Angel

NATIONAL SUPPORT OUR TROOPS DAY!

Forgive me for not posting this sooner. I had a nasty fall from a horse earlier, but that's NO EXCUSE!

So, what can YOU do to support our troops? Many things.

SOLDIER'S ANGELS is always looking for folks to adopt our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guard.

Any Soldier is also looking for folks to do the same.

Adopt a Platoon is a bit larger of a commitment, but you won't find a more thankful crowd of servicemen.
Looking for more ways to help? There are so many wonderful ways that you can do this that I will only list a few of my favorites here:

ADOPT A SNIPER
SPECIAL OPERATIONS WARRIOR FOUNDATION
UNITED WARRIOR SURVIVOR FOUNDATION
PROJECT VALOR IT
NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE FOUNDATION
ADOPT A CHAPLAIN
OPERATION HERO MILES
BOOKS FOR SOLDIERS
DEFEND THE DEFENDERS
WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT
HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS
THE FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION
OPERATION AIR CONDITIONER
OPERATION GRATITUDE

I promise to add more in the days to come as soon as I can confirm all the links. If if missed any please drop me a line at fallenangel@fm.paratrooper.net and I will be sure to add it to tomorrow's list.

Please pass this reminder along to anyone you know! Let's all do our part to let our troops know that we care!

Angel

Thank You Mudville Gazette

American and Proud of it.: I thought this was funny

American and Proud of it.: I thought this was funny

Are you listening ROFAsix? This one was made for you!

Angel

More Humor From The Happy Carpenter

Visit The Happy Carpenter if you could use a good laugh! (Especially if you are a brunette like me!)

RESCUE vs RELEASE

I realize this story has been told long before I decided to give my take on it, but the more I read about it, the more it pisses me off. So for those of you in the "Love the enemy" crowd, let me see if I can spell it out for you:

RESCUE: To free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil.

RELEASE: To give up, reliquish or surrender.

Still confused? Try reading a dictionary someday. And while you're at it, look up the word ungrateful and see if it rings a bell!

Angel

Attention All Readers!

Froggy Ruminations has posted at last and as usual, Matt was highly motivated. Please visit him to read an announcement from the family of fallen US Navy SEAL Danny Dietz on the creation of a Memorial/Scholarship fund to create a permanent memorial for their son and a scholarship to be awarded in his name. Contributions can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank to the Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial/Scholarship fund.

For those of you who don't know the story, Danny made the ultimate sacrifice last summer and was KIA along with several of his teammates and several members of the 160th SOAR Night Stalkers while serving in Afghanistan. That incident hit very close to home for my family and I can't urge you enough to help build this memorial if you are able to do so. Since my blog has a small number of readers, I also ask that you pass this along to everyone you can. It's the least we can do to honor the courage and sacrifice of this man and those who served with him.

Angel Out

Outside The Box

One of the things I adore about NOTR at ROFAsix is how he always finds articles that make me think outside the proverbial box. Yes, I know there are many others out there who do this as well, but he is one of my daily "must reads" as well as someone who has been a great help to me as I learned to get this blog of mine off the ground so I choose to link to him more often than not.
This article from STRATFOR, "Putting Cards On The Table In Iraq," gave me a new perspective on the relationship between Iran, Iraq and the US. It made a lot of sense and it was definately not something I would have tied together on my own. Whenever I come across something like that I want to know more so I can see what else I might be missing. That tells me it's worth passing along. Some may wonder why I consider this new information, but I suspect there are also others out there who, like me, don't always know what they don't know or what questions to ask when they are forming an opinion on something. This one's for them.

Blue Skies,
Angel

%$# &^@! COWARDS!

While I was visiting Ft. Someplace I met a wonderful married couple who I'll call "J&J."
The gal is a tiny, beautiful, spitfire of a woman and the guy is another one of our nation's silent heroes who just returned to active duty after a nasty encounter with flying metal in Iraq. They are good people who have been through multiple combat tours as a couple and were finally getting to spend little time together without the stress that comes with that kind of intense separation. They did not deserve what happened to them next...

As I was seeing Ssgt. Blue Eyes off to work at 0430 one morning, the upstairs neighbor came out on her balcony to tell us that she had seen someone trying all the door handles on the vehicles in the parking lot during the night, AND that this same someone spent quite a bit of time in J&J's jeep. Rather than calling 911 she called the security patrol for the apartment complex and left a message. They never called back and never showed up so what did she do then? Precisely nothing! (No, wait, I forget, she called her long-distance boyfriend because she was afraid and not sure if the event was "worthy" of calling the police. He apparently did not advise her otherwise.) Blue Eyes immediately noted that the console of the jeep had been forced open and that the glove box was also wide open with it's contents spilled on the floorboard. Since he had to be on base soon, I sent him on his way and went about alerting J&J as to the condition of their Jeep.

It was not a pretty site.

Several items were stolen, including the Surefire flashlight that had seen this soldier ("J") through multiple combat tours. The stereo was also missing but it had not been ripped out in a hurry. Someone had enough time to carefully un-install the system so as not to damage it. The police were called (FINALLY) and of course there wasn't anything they could do other than file a report by that time.

Needless to say, there was a deep and meaningful discussion about what would have happened had J&J or Blue Eyes and I caught this person in the act, as well as speculation on the fate of anyone seen walking around wearing a certain brand of sunglasses while listening to a green Ipod in the next few weeks.

What really INFURIATED me was the fact that the cowardly *&@!! who did this also took the time to remove the Jeep doors and stack them neatly in the back of the vehicle - right above the license plates bearing the words "WOUNDED COMBAT VETERAN" and the Purple Heart emblem. Stealing is bad enough. Stealing from a soldier is just plain chicken shit. But to steal from a man who has three metal plates in his body and is preparing to re-deploy is downright evil!

Much as I want J&J to get their stuff back, (unlikely,) what I really want is for Blue Eyes and "J" to get a hold of this guy. Better yet, let them catch him trying it again so they could "educate" and "rehabilitate" him in the rules of respecting the laws of our society. I know, I know - I'm wishing for a perfect world, but damn it would be nice to see that brand of justice just once!

I am working on replacing the stolen Surefire for "J" since I often send them to the guys I've adopted through Any Soldier, but it won't be the same as the one that went through Iraq and Afghanistan with him. You can't replace something like that when it comes to the sentimental value.

For anyone reading this who is as angry as I am, I ask that you take the time today to help a soldier as a way of balancing the scales. Any Soldier and Soldier's Angels are always looking for folks to adopt a member of our troops and I promise you that you will not find a more fulfilling endeavor in that arena.

Anyway, I'm all fired up again so I'm going to take Lobo out to play fetch till I calm down.

Angel Out!

The Battle of New Orleans

WARNING! If you are easily offended this video clip is NOT for you. If you do decide to watch it, please don't start telling me what a racist I am. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you want to know what I am, then I refer you to a most excellent essay by Bill Whittle from Eject! Eject! Eject! entitled "Tribes"

To summarize one of his quotes, let me say here and now that it's not about skin color for me - it's about Hat color. White hats and Black hats. Anyone of any color, race or creed can be a good
guy in a white hat or a bad guy in a black hat. It comes down to choice, not predisposition.

I worked with many of the folks displaced by Katrina and Rita and I am pleased to say that the majority of them are good people. They are upstanding, law abiding citizens who had been hit with a devastating blow. This is not about them. In fact, those I still keep in touch with who have seen this video have the same initial reaction to it as I did. But then they get mad...not about the parody, but with the fact the the actions of so few brought shame to so many. In my eyes, these "good guys" have nothing to be ashamed about. They were hit with an incredible tragedy and they moved on with their lives with a grace and dignity that we can all aspire to. They refused to be victims, no matter how great their sorrow and loss. Several of them began volunteering with my medical crew just days after they were transported to my city. They are the people who make up the Heart of America and I thank God for for folks like them every single day.

Now that you've been warned, find yourself a nice quiet place away from liberal eyes. (In other words, I wouldn't open this at work.) Now turn up your volume because the lyrics make this little gem the delightful bit of video that it is, and enjoy!

The Battle of New Orleans

RTB (Finally!!!)

Well folks, I'm finally home and I have lots to talk about. Today I will be catching up on housework type stuff, but I promise a few interesting tales in the next few days. Topics will include:

1. COWARDLY %$#!!: My OUTRAGE that Ssgt Blue-Eyes' neighbor had his vehicle broken into with many items stolen, and the one person who witnessed this crime didn't even call 911! The "victim" has the Purple Heart / Wounded Combat Vet plates on his pov and they are impossible to miss so it REALLY PISSES ME OFF that some coward would deliberately target a soldier. More on that as soon as I can type in language that is befitting the lady that I try to be.

2. The Battle of New Orleans: This video clip (which is VERY truthful and therefore not at all PC,) was sent to me by a friend who I worked with when we were taking in medical evacuees from Katrina. I spent some time deciding if I should post it due to it's content, but you know what? Sometimes the truth hurts and that doesn't make it any less truthful. It should be up by this evening.

3. My new word for the day: "Static Discharge." (Ok, so it's two words!) I experienced this phenomenon while flying home last night and I have to tell you, it was something that made me wonder if I was going to have to open that "emergency exit" door that I try to sit next to on any commercial flight. Fortunately, we had one of those excellent pilots who in his best "radio voice" immediately addressed the passengers to explain what had just happened and calm those who insisted we were just hit by lightening. Now that I know what it was, I'm thinking how cool it would be to experience it again, but hey, I'm strange like that.

4. The soldier who pumped my gas: While at Ft. Someplace, I bought some earrings that are the insignia of my Dad's old division when he was in Korea. A soldier presently in that division saw them and insisted that I not put gas in the car because he wanted to do it for me to say "thanks" for supporting him and his brethren in such a manner. We're talking a class act here folks and I can't wait to brag about this guy.

Anyway, I hope to have all these posts up soon and till then, y'all be safe!

Fallen Angel

SITREP from "Ft. Somewhere"

Well y'all, I know I said I'd be back blogging from home in a few days after my weekend at "Ft. Somewhere," but I'm not. I can't even give you an ETA at this point but we're thinking Sunday might find me back in the The Lone Star State. (For those of you who haven't figured it out, that's where I live when I'm not playing house with "Ssgt. Blue Eyes.")

Since the Army makes the final decision on when my significant other and I see each other, even if I happen to be typing this from his personal computer instead of my own, our time together has been a little less than we anticipated. His schedule has changed more than once since I've been here and that has been part of the reason for extending my visit. (Don't get me wrong, this is as it should be. I'm not one of those gals who thinks that National Defense should be second in line behind my desire for attention!)

That being said, I'm also having an incredible time here and were it not for missing my dog, I would have NO desire to leave. My idea of a good day is not one spent at the mall, so to give you an idea of some of the more memorable moments I've had here I've given them scrapbook titles...

"Angel's Introduction To The Rifles of WWII" and "Bush Master 101" are probably in the top three and are pretty self-explanatory. Number One would be called something like "Sex and the Single Sniper," and I'll let your imagination take that one where it will...*evil grin*

Y'all be safe!

FA

BLACKFIVE BlogAds Survey

BLACKFIVE is asking all his readers to take a survey. I did and it took less than 5 minutes of my time so I encourage everyone to do it as well. If you're a regular reader of The Paratrooper of Love (BLACKFIVE) like I am, then I think we should all make this simple gesture to thank him for his incredible blog.

So what are you waiting for? Get over there and DO IT!

Angel

Marine Snipers - Photo of The Week

BLACKFIVE does it again folks. Check out these pictures of Marine Snipers - Photo of The Week, and if you can, check out the folks at AmericanSnipers.Org and do what you can to keep these outstanding men outfitted with the best gear and tactical equipment available.

Dial 'em in boys!
Angel

Patriot Voices-In Their Own Words

While many of you may know about Patriot Voices, I just found it and it will definately become one of my regular reads. Hope y'all have time to drop by an visit. I think you'll like what you see.
There's an interesting post about SOCOM and the US Marines so for those of you interested in how that merger is coming along, this gives yet another insight into the progress being made.

Happy Wednesday!
Angel

Need Some Humor In Your Day?

The Happy Carpenter has a list of BumperStickers You Would Like To See that is absolutely hysterical, mostly because they are so true! Stop by and see him folks, you'll be laughing all day!

Angel

Taking Flight

First, I want to thank everyone who had stopped by to visit my blog, especially those like ROFASIX who have been so helpful in getting me educated on some of the technical aspects of this endeavor.

Secondly, I want to let y'all know that I am leaving tomorrow for "Ft. Someplace" to visit that Soldier of mine and will be returning home in a few days. While I would like to claim that my dedication to blogging is serious, I'm afraid I won't be doing much of that while I'm with him. We haven't seen eachother in a while and well...you know. *BLUSH*

May you all have as wonderful weekends as I intend to!

Angel

Bimbo's Day In Court

I am thoroughly disgusted with the fact that our Supreme Court has to take on cases like that of Anna Nicole - I want money because I'm not good for anything else- Smith! With such issues as Abortion rights on the table the fact that our esteemed judges have to waste time with this really makes me ill!

Anna, get back to your lame Trimspa ads, baby and try making money the old fashioned way...GET A JOB!

Fallen' Angel

Blogrolls

Folks, I am still trying to get a blogroll set up and being the FNG that I am, I'm having a bit of trouble...
A lot of blogs out there are worth reading and I try to make sure that they get mentioned here until I can master the technology required to get the blogroll up and running.
Any suggestions from the blogworld will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Angel

Bill Whittle Rocks!

I have yet to post here on one of my favorite writers and this morning I think it's time. Some of you are already quite familiar with Bill Whittle from Eject! Eject! Eject! but if you aren't I can't recommend him enough. I worked with the medical teams that treated the folks coming into the Astrodome after Katrina and I have since been subject to nightly gunfire, gang wars and a murder rate in my town that had doubled since the hurricane relocated some of New Orleans' less desirable folks into my city. I could bitch and moan about it all day long, but no one has summed it up better than Bill in his essay "Tribes"

It's a long essay and you don't want to miss a word. So, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy some of the most brilliant writing you will ever read. While you're there, check out his other essays and if you like them as much as I think you will, buy his book too. It's a compilation of his best work and one that I think EVERY American should read. It will not only restore your hope in our country - it will inspire you to do your part to make that hope grow.

Happy Reading,
Angel