[Aquamarine]

Good morning to all at the Finest, as we come together today to remember our veteran's and the ones in uniform who are serving overseas and at home during this Holiday Season.

[The Mayor]

[dixie sass]

Good Morning!

[MEG33]

I salute our veterans and all who serve in our armed forces.

This Christmas season I am especially thinking of all those who are away from home,unable to see their families.

I thank them for serving our country.To those in harms way,I pray for their safety.

God bless our armed forces and all who wait at home.You are the best.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Aqua.

[Calpernia]

Morning to the Finest!

http://goexcelglobal.com/images/birdbath2.gif

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Monday !

[FreeTheHostages]

Good morning right back to you! Lovely wreath.

[Diver Dave]

Mornin' Aqua and FR's Finest... staff.

With Military Monday presentations, I can't help but think of our troops serving in far away places during the Christmas Holidays.

Takes me back a few years remembering Christmas in Subic Bay, PI 1965. Newly married in June, deployed in Sept. for a 6 month WESTPAC cruise.

I worked in the Pipe Shop at the time. In the evenings, we'd hang around the shop, playing records and tapes on newly purchased stereo equipment. Someone had a Christmas album and as we played it, some of us began singing along with the record. Soon, more guys showed up and joined in our make-shift choir. If the song wasn't on a record, we sang a cappella.

A few days later, we took a length of 3" pipe and stuck it in the pipe bender and put a 180 bend on one end. We welded it to the deck, painted it white with a red candy-stripe. A sign was welded to the side of our new candy cane with the words, "Season's Greetings from Shop 56A."

That prompted other shops to create their own decorations. Sheetmetal ornaments from the tinners, a homemade Christmas tree from the Shipfitter shop, and the Machine Shop, found a small tree, decorated it with curly metal shavings of brass, copper, steel and aluminum.

Not the same as bein' home, but still, the "Can Do" attitude proved to be a morale booster.

[LadyX]

Providing a bit of the lighter side our guys find
during war with this photograph taken in Iraq:

He's Got Game

A U.S. Army soldier from the 1-22 Battalion of the 4th Infantry Division
shoots the ball during a basketball game inside one of ousted Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein's former palaces in Tikrit on Nov. 23.

[Billie]

What a pretty wreath! Good afternoon, Finest FRiends. Thank you for presenting Military Monday for us today, Aqua.

God Bless all our fine men and women in uniform, both past and present, and please know how much we appreciate you.