Everyday Heroes

The Gunn Nut has more photos posted of folks supporting the troops outside of Walter Reed. I can't even make a comment on this one folks, the pics speak for themselves. Stop by there and see for yourself and then think about what YOU can do to support our troops TODAY!

USS Ronald Reagan

JB's Sanctuary has a nice little photo of the USS Ronald Reagan along with a tale of time spent with some of her Chiefs. Check it out folks, these guys don't play and they deserve our prayers and gratitude.

Fair Winds!
Angel

The Female of the Species

ROFASIX has a great post this morning entitled "Kiowa Warrior Pilots Without a Penis" that I recommend to anyone who has doubts about my gender's ability to kick a little ass when we need to. As a female in a male dominated profession, I am more than willing to testify this fact of life. It also reminded me of a poem written by Kipling who figured out a long time ago that messing with a woman is not always a wise move. I'm not male-bashing here folks. I happen to come from a family of warriors and I happen to be in love with one - I know they are a force to be feared. That being said, I leave you with the words of Rudyard Kipling...

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

The Female of the Species

WHEN the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,
He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside.
But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.

When Nag the basking cobra hears the careless foot of man,
He will sometimes wriggle sideways and avoid it if he can.
But his mate makes no such motion where she camps beside the trail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.

When the early Jesuit fathers preached to Hurons and Choctaws,
They prayed to be delivered from the vengeance of the squaws.
'Twas the women, not the warriors, turned those stark enthusiasts pale.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.

Man's timid heart is bursting with the things he must not say,
For the Woman that God gave him isn't his to give away;
But when hunter meets with husbands, each confirms the other's tale—
The female of the species is more deadly than the male.

Man, a bear in most relations—worm and savage otherwise,—
Man propounds negotiations, Man accepts the compromise.
Very rarely will he squarely push the logic of a fact
To its ultimate conclusion in unmitigated act.

Fear, or foolishness, impels him, ere he lay the wicked low,
To concede some form of trial even to his fiercest foe.
Mirth obscene diverts his anger—Doubt and Pity oft perplex
Him in dealing with an issue—to the scandal of The Sex!

But the Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame,
Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same;
And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,
The female of the species must be deadlier than the male.
.
She who faces Death by torture for each life beneath her breast
May not deal in doubt or pity—must not swerve for fact or jest.
These be purely male diversions—not in these her honour dwells.
She the Other Law we live by, is that Law and nothing else.

She can bring no more to living than the powers that make her great
As the Mother of the Infant and the Mistress of the Mate.
And when Babe and Man are lacking and she strides unclaimed to claim
Her right as femme (and baron), her equipment is the same.

She is wedded to convictions—in default of grosser ties;
Her contentions are her children, Heaven help him who denies!
He will meet no suave discussion, but the instant, white-hot, wild,
Wakened female of the species warring as for spouse and child.

Unprovoked and awful charges—even so the she-bear fights,
Speech that drips, corrodes, and poisons—even so the cobra bites,
Scientific vivisection of one nerve till it is raw
And the victim writhes in anguish—like the Jesuit with the squaw!

So it comes that Man, the coward, when he gathers to confer
With his fellow-braves in council, dare not leave a place for her
Where, at war with Life and Conscience, he uplifts his erring hands
To some God of Abstract Justice—which no woman understands.

And Man knows it! Knows, moreover, that the Woman that God gave him,
Must command but may not govern—shall enthral but not enslave him.
And She knows, because She warns him, and Her instincts never fail,
That the Female of Her Species is more deadly than the Male.

OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

KPRC and Yahoo News reports the following Five Stabbed After Woman Criticizes New Orleans

Ladies & Gentlemen, this is why I am so fond of my Glock and Lobo, my guard dog!

Oh Happy Day!

It's open season on Hippies folks!

Visit The Gunn Nutt: Oh Happy Day! and see if you can bag your limit!

Happy Hunting!
Fallen' Angel

BLACKFIVE & UNCLE JIMBO

Please Don't Hurt Me Mr Buckley!

You just can't go wrong reading anything written by these two - they will never let you down.
This morning William F Buckley's defeatist attitude is addressed in a manner that only Uncle Jimbo could master.
Check it out folks! It's great reading to go with your morning coffee...

Blue Skies,
Angel

And on a personal note...

I got some great comments and emails about my Dad this morning. He was my very first Hero and I am proud to be his daughter. I spent years trying to hook him up with some of his buddies from Korea and although I found a few, I'd still like to see more of them back in his life. So in the spirit of reunions and my own pride in this man, here's a photo of Dad taken in Korea, 1953.

If you're reading this Daddy...I love you!

Michael Yon's Latest Dispatch

Michael Yon has a new article posted folks and like everything he's involved with, it's worth your time. Check it out and if you can, help support Mike's efforts in bringing us news from the front. Trust me, it is money well spent.

The Frogman Lives!

Froggy Ruminations hasn't been posting in a while, so it sure was nice to see him back in the land of the bloggers with this short but sweet photograph...What's Wrong With This Picture

This particular post really cracked me up and if you can't figure out what's wrong with it then please stick to stamp collection for your hobby of choice.

Blue Skies,
Fallen' Angel

A Note about my ARCHANGELS

To the left of my posts there is a list titled "ARCHANGELS!" This is not a blogroll. It is a list of folks who's words and actions have inspired me to begin my own blog, but more importantly to make sure that I do something to make my country a better place every single day that I draw breath. Many of them are active or retired military but not all of them and the list is not complete yet. A few need to be added but I have not yet made the graphics for their links. Others will be added as I discover them. If you know of anyone who belongs on this list, drop me a line with a link to their blog and I will be happy to check them out. As for why I chose to call them ARCHANGELS, it goes with the theme I chose for this blog, but more importantly, I have no doubt that any of them are more than worthy of their namesake. We need more of them in this country and in this world and I hope that all of you will be as inspired by them as I have been.

Blue Skies!
Fallen' Angel

And now for my first rant...

I'm never quite sure how to begin one of these unless I am in a fit of rage. However, during a heated debate in the comments section of Froggy Ruminations a while back, I did post something that pretty much sums up how I feel about war protesters amd why the whole question of supporting the troops is such a no-brainer for me. I hope Froggy will forgive me for reposting them here and if not, death by SEAL is at least a righteous way to go.

So folks, for what it's worth, here are my thoughts on the matter:

My *personal* short list of reasons why Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Marines deserve the unwavering support of the American people:(Yes, it's *my personal* list and yes, it's biased...I'll cover that in a moment.)

1. December, 1970:The Man I proudly call "Dad" wanted a son when he and my mother set out to adopt a child. He learned that a baby girl awaiting adoption lost her biological father while fighting with the 101st AIRBORNE in Vietnam three months after she was born. He tells me to this day that the idea of "His" son fell easily to the idea of ANY soldier's daughter growing up not knowing a soldier's love. "Dad" was in The Korea War, in a different division and from different place in history - but because soldiers love each other, I've been able to love two of them as only a daughter can for 35 years.

2. September 11th, 2001: I was rolling 1 3/4" hose line after a "normal" bread & butter structure fire when I heard about the attacks. That is my job. When 343 of my brothers died doing their jobs that day, the men and women of the US military did far more than demand a reckoning. They set out to ensure a future where our professions cross over only on our terms and no one else’s. They have delivered on both counts.

3. Fast forward to August 24th, 2005: I have “adopted” many individual service members and entire platoons over the last two years and to a man their gratitude for the smallest thought is overwhelming. But on this day I sat in tears reading the most touching thank you note I have ever received in my lifetime. What merited a personal letter of that caliber? A few pounds of Starbucks Coffee and a card. I sent those simple things to a group of men who volunteer for training & tours in Hell just to earn the right to demonstrate their intense love of this country. Unlike the folks who sparked this rare rant of mine, their protests signs are written in their *own* blood and no one else’s. They shed it willingly because that is how men of this breed express outrage against terrorism – they act. And in their darkest hour of grief, their commanding officer did not seek public platforms to complain. He shared private moments of hope and pride and gratitude by taking the time to personally thank people like me for a decent cup of coffee, a piece of printed cardboard, and a few words of prayers and appreciation that were woefully shy of honoring him and his fallen brothers as fully as they deserve.You may have read about this particular group of men here at Froggy’s Blog. Froggy held our hands while we prayed for them, rejoiced with us as the “ONE” came home, and granted us the privilege, worthy of it or not, to say goodbye to them at their memorial services. So, you see, for me, this is so very simple and all the debate in the world can’t change it – I love my defenders. I support their mission, their Commander In Chief and in my eyes, there simply is no other way to support THEM!

*Yes, this is my personal short list and I have no doubt that my opinion is biased. But I can take away any of the factors that make it so and one final unifying factor remains...I am an American. I know many, many people who do not have the ties to these men and women that I do. To them, it makes no difference. I know many who's ties are much closer and more personal. They do not need them. They all love our troops. They honor and support them just as fiercely as I do. They are Americans...and that is all they need.

Who I've Fallen For...

This is the love of my life! I am so very proud and so very lucky to have this Soldier in my life. He is the best proof I have that God loves me...*LOL*

Someday, I may be able to convince him to post here occasionally too, but I'm not holding my breath...he's almost as stubborn as I am about these things.

UPDATE: I still think he's a great guy, but we are no longer a couple.

Love Those CAV Guys!

ROFASIX is my hero for posting this little gem - About Sez It All Doesn't It?

It's NOT work safe or kid safe but it IS the most hysterical, laugh-out-loud presentation I've seen in ages.

What I'm Fallen' For...

Hope you weren't looking for the fall from Grace or anything - I'm not that kind of Angel.