Help the Animals and Get a Book!

Help the Animals and get a Book!

     I am working on a new project designed to help the numerous groups that help rescue and take care of all the animals that cannot take care of themselves and that have no home to call their own.  All proceeds from the sales of the books will be distributed to various animal rescue organizations around the world to help them do more to help.  Your help and support is always appreciated.

OH NOSE, CUTE KITTEN VIDEOS!

     Cute and Fuzzy VS Wet and Snowy!

     So since we moved to the DC area it has snowed quite a bit and the fuzzy critter you see in the video has done her level best to get out to see exactly what the heck was going on.  Today we had a rather unexpectedly heavy snowfall and I was snapping pictures of it when Lantanna managed to squeeze past me and get onto our upper deck.  Needless to say her reaction to snow for the first time was more than a wee bit amusing.  Since I was lucky enough to catch it on video, I decided to upload it to my YouTube page.  I include the link and the story behind it here for your amusement.  Please feel free to enjoy the video and even tell your friends.

Thank you, all of you for your Service both Past and Present.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgYLr_LfhLo

My Grandfather proudly served during WWI alongside his best friend Jay Worthington. They served during some of the bloodiest and dirtiest trench warfare and Jay lost his right foot and part of his leg to a landmine during this time. Both men served with honor and dignity coming home alive when so many didn't. After having done this, they could have easily rested on their laurels and never had to worry about serving our country again.

However, the story goes that right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, both of them and Jay's wooden leg marched right down to the local recruitment office. They were told by the Recruiter that they were too old to reenlist and supposedly the officer made a not to gentle comment about Jay only having one leg. My Grandfather swore till the day he died that Jay was so incensed by not being allowed to serve again that he threatened to take his leg off and beat the man with it.

I am proud to come from a family that has a strong Military history. As far as I know, a member of my family has served in every major and most lesser conflicts that our country has been involved in. My Father fought in WWII. Many of my other relatives served in Korea, Vietnam and my brother recently did a rotation in the Middle East even though he is well into his middle years. He said, “The Army has helped pay my bills for 30 years so it was only fair that I pay a little of it back.”

It feels that the US is forgetting just how much we owe our Military Personnel. In a way I can understand the feelings. After over a decade of fighting and the loss of so many with what seems to be very little results, it is easy to become angry or disillusioned. We see the Middle East slipping back into the anarchy and chaos that it was before we invaded and we shake our heads. We hear the hateful rhetoric coming from people who are supposed to be our allies and we weep. Being Human we need a target to vent our frustrations on and so we hit the most obvious targets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2L3skZ7FEw

Vietnam was one of the most strife filled periods in American History. We were fighting a war that most Americans wanted no part in. Our enemy wasn't some incredible colossus that threatened the entire world and the conflict wasn't played out on the Global Theater. Our forces were fighting a type of enemy they had never fought before in an environment that was unlike anything most had ever experienced. Public sentiment was against the War and the actions of a few painted the rest of the Armed Forces in a horrible light. The treatment these men and women received when they came home from Hell was shameful to say the least and dishonorable to say more. It wasn't until much later that they finally received some thanks for their service.

Having lived through that era, I can see some signs of the same sort of resentment and reactions floating around today. Our nation has spent literally Trillions of dollars fighting two wars that cost us far too many American Lives with no signs of true success. People need a place to vent their anger and frustration and as is human nature, they tend to vent it at the most visible targets. Sure we blame our elected officials, but they are distant. Men and Women proudly wearing their uniforms are much easier targets.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we have or even will reach the Vietnam Era levels of hate and resentment. I don't think our soldiers will have garbage or worse thrown at them. I am afraid that people will not give those who served their just due. It is far too easy to simply forget. As we grow more and more weary of war and all of its costs, it is easy to forget and gloss over the events. We forget because remembering is too painful. As we forget, anything that reminds us can become a target for our pain.

No matter how painful it is. No matter how much we want to forget the rage and frustration, we must never forget either the conflicts or the people who served in them. If we forget the first, we are doomed to forever repeat them and if we forget the second, we will have lost our humanity. Never forget.

Brew Long and Prosper