Little Things Mean a Lot.

Hadn't heard from my guy in about 36 hours which isn't unheard of but it's rare. Then yesterday morning I woke up to this:
"Bad guys got stuck on stupid and we're into our 4th day of fighting. I haven't slept in about 3 days, but I wanted to warn you before I rack out that you're going to hear things in the media that sound familiar, like the names of provinces and FOBs. I don't want you to worry - my guys are kicking ass and we are all ok. I know you're going to worry anyway and not let a soul around you see it, but if it does get too hard, remember the promise I made you."
Not 20 minutes later the AP had picked up the incidents he was referring to, including a mortar attack on his FOB. But my guy, exhausted as he was, took the time to send me that email. How many guys would do that?
I'm thankful to say mine would.
Oh, and that promise he mentioned? Crying women don't do much for him and I agree that it doesn't help him any to sound like a woman at the Wailing Wall when deployment should be the only thing on his mind. So we made a deal:
I wouldn't cry at the Airport when we said goodbye.
He would come home safe to me.

I didn't shed a single tear.
And he doesn't break promises.

Hillary Wasn't Lying! - Bosnia Footage Discovered!

This would be so wrong if it wasn't so damn funny!

h/t Frankie Cee

When You Wish Upon A Star...

In my previous post on Birthdays you may recall that I made this wish:

"My one wish in this world, is that I have become a woman that he would be as proud to call his Daughter as I am to call him my Father."
To anyone who says that prayers aren't answered and wishes don't come true, I give you the following gifts I received from a complete stranger, The Average American, who I suspect I may be lucky enough to call a friend someday soon.

"Consider your wish granted. I can assure you just from reading your last few posts that your father would have been EXTREMELY proud of you. I was there in 1968 and was lucky enough to be one of the 98% that came home."

He included this video as a tribute to my father:

So, if wishing on a star doesn't work for you, try wishing on a soldier...they're pretty much the same thing.

Thank you so very much Sir, for the beautiful video tribute and for making *my* wish come true

Please stop by and visit him at The Average American, although once you're there I think you'll agree rhat he's anything but average,

Birthdays

I willingly admit that these particular days, the one recently past and the one soon to follow in April are both difficult, sad days for me...yet I could not live with myself were I not to note them here.

The first is of the Man who gave me life.

The second is of the women gave me love.

On March 21st, my biological Father was born. He served with the 101st in Vietnam and was killed one month and three days after I was born. I have learned from his Army buddies that I am more like him than I ever imagined or hoped to be, and I am honored to carry part of him in my blood and in my heart.

My one wish in this world, is that I have become a woman that he would be as proud to call his Daughter as I am to call him my Father.

On April 2nd, 1929, my Mother, the woman who raised me and loved me as her own was born. I lost her at age 20 and still miss her every day. I will be writing more about this remarkable lady when the day comes.For now I simply wish to thank God, Fate - whatever you choose to call that power for making these people a part of my life.

I think I like this guy...and I like politicians less than I do reporters.

I don't sing the praises of many politicians, but after reading the following letter and visiting the Congressman's website and blog, I have to say I was impressed, especially when compared with some of the other pitiful attempts to get votes lately. I'm not asking you to take my word for it, but I am asking you to visit his site and blog and see for yourself. He not only has solutions in mind, he has an entire section dedicated to YOUR opinions on how well they will work for you personally. Again, I'm NOT endorsing or stumping for anyone, but I think this man is worth taking a look at.

Dear Friend,
Before adjourning for recess, House Democrats passed the largest tax-hike in American history; a rate hike that will soak an average of $3,120 from every family. In an economy reeling from a slowing housing and job market, this is a burden that American families and small business owners simply cannot afford.

Let's be clear: This Democrat tax hike raises the tax burden of every American, particularly the middle-class. Their budget, which they voted to pass this week, includes the following tax assumptions:

~ Raises the current "10 percent tax bracket" to 15 percent. This would increase the burden on all American taxpayers, especially the lowest income earners.
~ Implements an across-the-board increase on marginal income tax rates.
~ Reinstates the marriage penalty. Approximately 23 million married couples would be affected.
~ Slashes the $1,000 per-child tax credit in half.
~ Increases the tax on dividends, which often supplement the income of senior citizens relying on Social Security.
~ Reinstates the death tax, which is considered the largest impediment to transferring family-owned businesses from one generation to the next.

The consequences are chilling for ordinary Americans. Democrat strategists believe that by hiding these assumptions in a larger budget, the American people won't hold them accountable over the resulting tax hikes. Fortunately, the legislative struggle is not yet over and it is not too late to prevent their plan from succeeding.
House Republicans will fight against these tax hikes at every opportunity; we must not allow tax hikes to plunge this economy into recession and chase jobs away. I'd like to hear what you have to say about the House Democrats' plan to raise your taxes, please click here to visit my blog and leave your comments on the situation.
It is time to get Washington working again: Working on common-sense solutions to the problems facing people's everyday lives, rather than adding to those problems by imposing a heavier tax burden. Now, more than ever, we need a fiscal policy that spurs job growth and investment to create good middle-class jobs and brighter economic days.

Regards,

Eric Cantor

United States Congressman

H/T Frankly Opinionated

Today, I met a Hero...

I don't throw the word around lightly, but today I met a real live, honest to God Hero, and his charming wife, in of all places - the post office.

I was there making my weekly care package shipment to Iraq and happened to have my "book" with me that contains everything from stamps, Priority Mail labels, custom forms (both kinds) and everything else I might need just in case something has changed since my visit two days before. (IE: The 2007 Customs Forms are out now - no irony there!)

On this leather bound book I have a few patches on the cover: Ranger Tab, Airborne Tab, 101st Eagle, Pathfinder patch...you get the idea. He noticed it and knew exactly what it was for. He asked how long my 1SG had been in country. I'm almost ashamed of my answer as far as my missing him after what he and his wife said in reply.

He'd been a pilot in WWII, Korea AND Vietnam. He named so many helicopters that he's flown that there were some I'd never heard of. (And I've heard of most of them.) He has more hours flying than most pilots I know - well over 12,000. (And that's NOT counting his civilian hours - those were just his Military hours.)

He still flies and teaches (but I don't think the wife is to happy about that) AND, the man also jumps out of airplanes. He said it was a nice break when flying got too easy.

I know I thanked him for his service and I'm sure I stammered a couple of other things that related to gratitude, but like most Heroes, he didn't want to hear it. He actually blushed and said,

"How could I have done anything else?"

I wish I would have thought to ask his name, but in retrospect, I wouldn't post it. Men such as that don't want recognition or glory.

But it's not every day you meet a man like that - they are the last of a VERY special breed and I am grateful to have met one in person.

Thank God we have some left and that some new ones have stepped up.

Where ever you are, Sir - thank you for the honor and the privilege of meeting you.

Happy Easter!

So many of us celebrate this day in so many ways, myself included, and so whether you attend a Sunrise Service, watch with joy as your children hunt for eggs hidden by that most famous of childhood bunnies.(And if you're like me, you may have to dip into their chocolate later)

or

Spend time with Family & Friends,

May you all have a Very Happy Easter.

And if you are the praying kind, or even the thinking kind, please take a moment to remember those who are far from home on this day and remember that were it not for those troops, we might someday live in a world without Easter, without Passover, only with regret that we did not fight as hard as they do to keep our freedoms.

Good Friday

I suppose with the name "Fallen Angel" it would surprise some of you to know that I'm Catholic. And although my name here is more related to jumping out of planes, I think it also fits this day and this and season.
For who better to be redeemed than those who have fallen, or lost their way.
I myself have done both many times.
There's a quote we often use when referring to the loss of our soldiers:
"Greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends"
Let us all remember who first spoke those words and made the ultimate sacrifice on this Good Friday.

Ain't that the truth!

THANKS FRANK!

Thanks again to Frankie Cee for making this one at my request.
Although I gotta tell ya'...loving someone who is AIRBORNE Infantry ain't no picnic either...

But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

CPR IS CHANGING - CCR LEARN IT!

As a paramedic this subject is near and dear to my heart and I pray everyone will take the time to read the article I am about to share with you. Since the onset of AED's, (Automated External Defibrillators,) being placed in schools, malls and airports, this may well be the most live saving change since the onset of CPR itself.

Please note that this does not apply to EMS providers with the proper equipment. This is for you, the innocent bystander who suddenly watches a man grasp his chest and fall to the ground. This is for you, the fan at a high school basket ball game who sees a child literally die before your eyes. And what it means is that you don't HAVE to be that innocent bystander. YOU can do something right then and there that may save a life.

In a nut shell CPR may soon be know as CCR. The difference? The absence of mouth to mouth resuscitation. It is compressions only. This fact alone may make many who would stand by step up. Personally, I believe it will. I make no promises. CRP is successful roughly 2% of the time. But what if...just what if you had something to do with being a part of that 2%?

Folks, that 2% is why I do what I do.

And now before I direct you to the article - A SERIOUS DISCLAIMER.

TAKE THE CLASS!

Until you have been trained in Basic Life Saving for Non Health Care Providers your only job is to call 911 and then get the hell out of their way. But once you HAVE taken it, you will learn in one short day how to save the life of an Infant, a child, and an adult. And you will leave fully confident that you CAN do what you have learned. Because you can! I hope you never have to. I wish I never had to. But the fact of the matter is you will NEVER regret becoming a Life Saver instead of a Bystander. On this, you have my word.

New Life Saving Technique Triples Cardiac Arrest Survival Rates!

One GIANT HAT TIP Frankie Cee for reminding me of this.

Visit his site for some of the coolest graphics you'll ever see

For those of you with pets, be they birds, cats, rescue dogs, or just plain critters you adore, you may also want to check out this site.

How to save your Pet's Life

I have personally done this, thank God not with my own beloved "Lobo," and it was my very first "Save." As it turned out, that critter was a retired Police Dog who was now someone's adopted companion animal and personal protection dog. So if I can do that for a dog, what would YOU do for a child?

Atta' Girl!

Woman Earns Silver Star in Afghan War

Spc. Monica Lin Brown from Lake Jackson Texas

I'm not going to get into the whole women in combat thing. Enough has been said already on that subject. I can only tell you as a paramedic, that at age 19, I was doing good to put a band aid on someone who cracked their head open at a Frat party. The fact that she's with the 82nd AIRBORNE doesn't exactly take points away from her in my book either. Neither does the fact that she's from Texas. We DO know how to grow 'em here!

h/t Blackfive & AP

Flight 77 - Best Animation I have seen to date

And while graphic in some portions, it is based on pure forensic evidence and physics. Though it won't put an end to the conspiracy theorists, it definitely puts them in the "Alien Autopsy/Area 51" category once and for all.

H/T Conservative Propaganda

Well, I've done it again...

Tried to vote again today, and now that there is a bombardment of TV ads to add to my original disgust, it only made things worse. So, once again, I left without voting.
To summarize a Clinton add about who I want answering the phone at three in in the morning, my answer is..."None of the above."
I wonder if I can write that in come November? Because the way things look right now, I'd rather have a CSM answer THAT phone.
Unless things change and change FAST. I shall be writing in Ronald Reagan.
Hey, if Mickey Mouse gets a lot of votes, I see nothing wrong with that!