A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....04-05-04....Military Monday

Billie,The Mayor

[The Mayor]

A Few of FR's Finest
....Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I could no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I had been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that didn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why we've created a place for just that. This is a friendly room in JimRob's house where FReeper FRiends can gather every day and just say hello if that's all they want to do.

There's more of course. We sometimes feature different FReepers, with a little background information on who they are and what makes them who they are, along with a few photos you might not have seen on other threads; sometimes others write an essay for us to post as the feature for the day; sometimes our presentation is a human interest story found elsewhere that you might not have read; sometimes special holiday threads; but whatever the topic of the day, it is always with FR's Finest in mind and that is YOU!

If you would like to be featured, or would like to see someone else featured, please send me a private FR mail.

Every Monday we will post the photos of FR's Military Personnel that I have collected and put into groups; these will be available to view through a link the remainder of the week - every day just a click away. :)   If you would like to add a photo of yourself or a loved one in the military, past or present, please let me know; I will hold it until I have enough for a new group.

Thank you, and please have fun with us...every day! ~ Billie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You For Serving Our Country!

TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete
MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub
BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet
MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga
BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette
MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid
BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP
MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian
BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, The Mayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

TOP:  Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog.
MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son.
BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

TOP:  dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon.
BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

TOP:  ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband
poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son;
BOTTOM:  AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset);
WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

TOP: Mo1's dad; BuffyT's Uncle (right, w/ her dad & grandmother); Armymarinemom's 3 sons.
MIDDLE: ru4Liberty's dad; SheLion's husband, MaineRebel; wirestripper.
BOTTOM: fivetoes; bigghurtt; hurricane; ladtx' dad; Pippin's brother.




                     

THE WEEKEND THREAD 04-02-03-04-04... Week in Review ^

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[The Mayor]

[The Mayor]

They called upon the Lord, and He answered them. —Psalm 99:6

God can bring showers of blessing out of storms of adversity.

[Support Free Republic]

Donate Here By Secure Server

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Monday !

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Mr. Mayor.

[The Mayor]

Winter hangs out in Buffalo, 21 with snow on the ground this morning.

[The Mayor]

Iran declares war on U.S.

[MeekOneGOP]

Wow. 21 degrees there, huh ?? B-r-r-r-r !

61 degrees here, heading for 71 today ...

Maybe this will help ya out ?? ...

[MeekOneGOP]

Marines Encircle Fallouja
(Operation Valiant Resolve commencing)

FALLOUJA, Iraq — Thousands of Marines surrounded this anti-American stronghold early today in preparation for a complex raid to retake control of the city and apprehend those responsible for last week's slayings of four U.S. security contractors.

The highly anticipated action, dubbed Operation Valiant Resolve, was expected to be one of the biggest military offensives since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government a year ago.

All roads leading to this city of 300,000 were cut off and barricaded with tanks and concertina wire. Working through the cold and windy desert night, under a large moon, Marines set up camps for detainees and residents who might flee any fighting. Before dawn, several Marine positions were hit by mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Bursts of automatic gunfire could be heard throughout the city.

Click here to go to FR article

[The Mayor]

Thanks for the fire, just send a moving truck and I'll join ya..

Texas sounds good..

[The Mayor]

Thanks for posting that link, I saw it on Amys thread.

Lots happening today..

[The Mayor]

US Marines announce major offensive in Fallujah

[The Mayor]

Lots happening on this Military Monday! Terror Group Warns Spain on U.S. Support

"If these demands are not met, we will declare war on you and ... convert your country into an inferno and your blood will flow like rivers," the letter said.

[MeekOneGOP]

Re #10-11:

C'mon down! You'll just LOVE July-August and it's 105+ here. Whew! lol!

Yep, lot's happening today alright ...

[The Mayor]

"We are not going to tolerate these attacks from outlaw states, run by the strangest collection of misfits, looney tunes, and squalid criminals since the advent of the Third Reich."

Ronald Reagan
(speaking after terrorist attacks by Shi'ite Muslims, July 1985)

[wolicy_ponk]

This ought to make you smile, yesterday at Fort Campbell,Ky

We were on hand to give some heroes from the

101st Airborne Div. a proper 'WELCOME HOME'

Pics included!

Heroes welcomed home 04-04-04 Ft. Campbell, Ky.

[The Mayor]

Welcome Home !

[The Mayor]

April 5, 2004

Love That Lifts

Read: Psalm 40:1-3

They called upon the Lord, and He answered them. —Psalm 99:6

Bible In One Year: 1 Samuel 1-3; Luke 8:26-56

---

When King David looked back on his life, he remembered some painful experiences. In Psalm 40, he recalled one especially severe difficulty, a time when he felt as if he had sunk deep into "the miry clay" (v.2).

In his despair David kept pleading with God for deliverance, and graciously the Lord answered his desperate cries. Lifting him out of the "horrible pit," He set his feet on solid ground (v.2). No wonder David broke out into this hymn of praise and gratitude! As you look back on your own life, do you remember any experience when you felt as if you had fallen into a pit? Perhaps it was the pit of failure, the pit of bereavement, the pit of painful illness, the pit of dark doubt, the pit of some persistent sin. Did you keep crying out to God, and did He mercifully deliver you?

If so, are you still praising the Lord for that answer to your cries and thanking Him for His grace? And are you now walking with Him in obedient fellowship?

You can confidently trust the Lord to help you in whatever experience comes your way in the days ahead. Rejoice that in His time He can—and will—bring you through and bring you out. —Vernon Grounds

Why must I bear this pain? I cannot tell;
I only know my Lord does all things well.
And so I trust in God, my all in all,
For He will bring me through, whate'er befall. —Smith

God can bring showers of blessing out of storms of adversity.

[The Mayor]

SHARON CANTILLON/Buffalo News
Sgt. Jason Gilliland, left, hugs his mother, Regina Lawson,
and Sgt. William Healey embraces his wife, Julie,
as the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion returned after 15 months in Iraq.

SHARON CANTILLON/Buffalo News
Maj. Bill Broderick hugs his wife and their 19-month-old daughter,
Abby, on Friday after returning from Iraq.

Reservists arrive home

Civil Affairs unit is back from Iraq
By HENRY L. DAVIS
News Staff Reporter

NIAGARA FALLS - There were tears, smiles, long embraces and excited yells for "Daddy" that rose above the rousing sounds of the brass band.

The wait finally was over for the dozens of family and friends who greeted 50 members of the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion who came home Friday after more than a year in Iraq

The reservists marched into cavernous Hangar 850 on the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Base under a cold drizzle after arriving from Fort Bragg, N.C., where they had spent the last 10 days. They faced a hero's welcome, with American flags, patriotic T-shirts, colorful balloons and a cheering crowd.

"What can I say? It was great to see," Sgt. William Healey of Amherst said after hugging his wife, Julie. "I couldn't wait to get home."

Julie Healey said she counted the days until her husband's return by daily pulling a link off a paper chain made for her by a friend's daughter. It was a momentous year in other ways - a granddaughter was born - that made his absence even harder. "I'm so relieved it's over," she said. "When we talked over the phone, he never told me stories, but I knew it was dangerous."

A few feet away, Staff Sgt. Ward Bernard of the City of Tonawanda gawked at a shiny, like-new 1974 Harley-Davidson motorcycle his family trucked up for his homecoming. "This is great," he said, circling the bike.

Ward bought the classic motorcycle in pieces with plans to restore it after his return. His nephew did the job for him in honor of his service, even installing a decal on the rear fender - a waving American flag behind a soaring bald eagle - that matches the tattoo on Ward's shoulder.

His mother, Pat, said it was a relief to have him home, but she can't rest easy yet. She has a grandson, from another child, serving in the 82nd Airborne in Fallujah, where on Wednesday four U.S. contractors were killed. These reservists were sent to Kuwait early last year and then to Iraq in the earliest days of the war.

They worked first in the southern city of Nasiriyah, returned briefly to Kuwait and then went to the city of Bakuba, north of Baghdad, said Major Terry McGuire. Once the combat phase of the war was over last May, the soldiers spent most of their time working with the Army's 4th Infantry Division, helping rebuild Iraqi infrastructure and prepare for elections, he said.

About half the battalion's soldiers returned home in late January. The battalion also has 12 soldiers in another group in Iraq and Afghanistan. They left in December, and additional deployments of reservists are expected in the future, said McGuire.

One member of the 402nd was killed during duty in Iraq. Spc. Charles E. Bush Jr. of Buffalo died Dec. 19 when an explosion caused his truck to overturn in a convoy in the northern part of the country.

[Aquamarine]

What a heartwarming post!

Welcome home 101st Airborne Div.!
May God bless them.