FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Ted Williams ~ October 29, 2012

Serving | StarCMC

[Kathy in Alaska]

And in first....Mac grabs the gold!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Please note: The author of the Hall of Heroes is StarCMC.

Please thank StarCMC for today’s thread.

~ Hall of Heroes: Ted Williams ~

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT

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Honoring those who have served before.

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[SandRat]

Well,...the girls are home and rested up.

Madison, if you can believe it, is more cute than ever.

((HUGS)) to you Kathy

[ConorMacNessa]

Welcome To All Who Enter This Canteen, To Our Serving Military, To Our Veterans, To All Military Families, To Our FRiends and To Our Allies!



Missing Man Setting

“The Empty Chair”

By Captain Carroll “Lex” Lefon, USN (ret), on December 21st, 2004

“In the wardroom onboard the aircraft carrier from which I recently debarked was a small, round table, with single chair. No one ever sat there, and the reasons, both for the table being there, and for the fact that the chair was always empty, will tell the reader a little bit about who we are as a culture.The wardroom, of course, is where the officers will dine; morning, noon and evening. It is not only a place to eat – it is also a kind of oasis from the sometimes dreary, often difficult exigencies of the service. A place of social discourse, of momentary relief from the burdens of the day. The only things explicitly forbidden by inviolable tradition in the wardroom are the wearing of a cover or sword by an officer not actually on watch, or conversation which touches upon politics or religion. But aboard ships which observe the custom, another implicit taboo concerns the empty chair: No matter how crowded the room, no matter who is waiting to be seated, that chair is never moved, never taken.

The table is by the main entrance to the wardroom. You will see it when you enter, and you will see it when you leave. It draws your eyes because it is meant to. And because it draws your eyes it draws your thoughts. And though it will be there every day for as long as you are at sea, you will look at it every time and your eyes will momentarily grow distant as you think for a moment. As you quietly give thanks.

AS YOU REMEMBER.

The small, round table is covered with a gold linen tablecloth. A single place setting rests there, of fine bone china. A wineglass stands upon the table, inverted, empty. On the dinner plate is a pinch of salt. On the bread plate is a slice of lemon. Besides the plate lies a bible. There is a small vase with a single red rose upon the table. Around the vase is wound a yellow ribbon. There is the empty chair.

We will remember because over the course of our careers, we will have had the opportunity to enjoy many a formal evening of dinner and dancing in the fine company of those with whom we have the honor to serve, and their lovely ladies. And as the night wears on, our faces will in time become flushed with pleasure of each other’s company, with the exertions on the dance floor, with the effects of our libations. But while the feast is still at its best, order will be called to the room – we will be asked to raise our glasses to the empty table, and we will be asked to remember:

The table is round to show our everlasting concern for those who are missing. The single setting reminds us that every one of them went to their fates alone, that every life was unique.

The tablecloth is gold symbolizing the purity of their motives when they answered the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and their loved ones who kept the faith.

The yellow ribbon around the vase symbolizes our continued determination to remember them.

The slice of lemon reminds us of the bitterness of their fate.
The salt symbolizes the tears shed by those who loved them.
The bible represents the faith that sustained them.
The glass is inverted — they cannot share in the toast.
The chair is empty — they are not here. They are missing.

And we will remember, and we will raise our glasses to those who went before us, and who gave all that they had for us. And a part of the flush in our faces will pale as we remember that nothing worth having ever came without a cost. We will remember that many of our brothers and sisters have paid that cost in blood. We will remember that the reckoning is not over.

We many of us will settle with our families into our holiday season, our Christmas season for those who celebrate it, content in our fortune and prosperity. We will meet old friends with smiles and laughter. We will meet our members of our family with hugs. We will eat well, and exchange gifts and raise our glasses to the year passed in gratitude, and to the year to come with hope. We will sleep the sleep of the protected, secure in our homes, secure in our homeland.

But for many families, there will be an empty chair at the table this year. A place that is not filled.

WE SHOULD REMEMBER.”

Thanks To Alfa6 For Finding The Narrative Of “The Empty Chair.”

Robert Schumann – “Traumerei”
(Click)

Never Forget The Brave Men And Women Who Gave Their Lives To Secure Our Freedom!!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[luvie]

....till they all come home......

[luvie]

Thanks, Galz! How fun to find out that some of our best known sports heroes were also military heroes as well!

Hat off to you, Ted Williams! :)

[BIGLOOK]

Honoring Our Fallen

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Luv!

***HUGS***



We stand the watch awaiting their return!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Kathy in Alaska]

And in second....TS snags the silver!!

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

I hope you all stay safe and dry tonight!

[ConorMacNessa]

Aloha, BIGLOOK!



Hand Salute To You, My Brother-In-Arms!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[luvie]

Indeed we do! Can’t give them up!

[ConorMacNessa]

When I was active duty the creed was "No Man Left Behind!" I remember a day in June, 1969 when we were in firefights in the highlands near the Laotian border. We lost a man, Pfc. Eddie Locklear, out in the bush. We went to great lengths to retrieve him, fortunately without further loss of life.

How different at Benghazi! They abandoned those men, let them be slaughtered and watched on a remote video feed as it happened.

My heart goes out to the brave men who fell at Benghazi!
My heart goes out to our gallant Troops, operating under the most draconian ROE's ever imposed on on American Troops.
I'm going to violate the no-politics dictum on this thread and state that the the Obama Administration is a Marxist, Anti-American and traitorous clique who are doing nothing less than systematically unraveling the American Revolution. They belong in prison, not in the White House. The Fallen of Benghazi cry out for justice! Let their cries not be ignored!



Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[luvie]

BRAVO!!
OOORAH!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And rounding out the top three....Nana Hope bags the bronze!!

[ConorMacNessa]

GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS AND OUR BELOVED NATION!


TATTOO
(Click)

Must retire – an early call awaits me in the morning! The pathetic nameless ciphers in control of our Government have decided that nothing is open tomorrow in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

I say BULLSHIT!!

We never rest at Battle Station Castle MacNessa! We are at 100%, 24/7!

We have the Watch now, as always!

We have your Six, Brothers! Rest Easy!

The Bugler, his grim visage replete with an evil sneer, already mounts the parapet.

Do poor Tom some charity, whom the foul fiend vexes!



Good night, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America!

Godspeed our Troops around the Globe – especially those in harm’s way – by virtue of their service and sacrifice we continue to live in Freedom!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hear! Hear!

Tough doing your job knowing your government “leaders” may not have your back. GRRRR!!! These traitors MUST be voted out.

God Bless and watch over all of our magnificent troops, wherever they serve.

[o-n-money]

I have read extensively about Ted Williams’ careeer. I believe he was the best hitter ever. If his career was not interupted by military service, I believe he would have surpassed Babe Ruyh in the HR department.Just average out his stats.

[Kathy in Alaska]

God Bless you good, Mac. Good night and rest well. Thanks for helping honor our troops, past and present.
Thank you for your service to our country.

[jessduntno]

“A great photo - I have indeed seen it! He had the greatest swing of any ballplayer I have ever seen!”

I have a framed copy of the photo - from the original negative - hanging over my desk. My Dad knew him from San Diego when he was a kid and we always followed his career.