from Scott Settlemire. Pretty dern cool.:::
Dear Camaro Comrades and Firebird Friends.......
The following is not Camaro/Firebird related. I wrote it in Microsoft
Word....however, sometimes dashes show up as question marks in the
translation.....so if you see a lot of question marks, substitute 'em with
dashes...........
There are a couple of important dates coming up --- I hope you will keep
them in mind?.
Tuesday, November 2nd is Election Day. Get out and vote. It's an honor
and a privilege that we enjoy in this country. No Excuses!
Thursday, November 11th is Veterans Day (formerly Armistice Day ?.the
11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month?..)
I wrote the following one evening in Atlanta during the Memorial Day
Weekend as I was thinking of our Veterans?..and decided that perhaps I
should save it for Veterans Day??..so??here goes??
In the last months and years?.since 9/11 and the war in Iraq, we've talked
about supporting our troops.
We've seen our friends go off to war?some not to return.
Be forewarned!
I'm about to wave the flag.
So?.if you're not interested, please don't proceed.
Here goes:
He was the first generation of his family to be born in the U. S.
It was, perhaps, a simpler time?.yet with what he perceived as modern
conveniences ? coupled with the freedom his family enjoyed, and a plot of
land ? he felt it was a great time to be alive.
Trouble was brewing on the horizon as he grew into manhood?.and soon his
country would call.
The stories he heard from his parents, aunts, and uncles throughout his
young life allowed him to understand just how important freedom is?.and so
he sailed to Europe ? with other very young men very much like him. They
would be asked to fight for a noble cause.
I will never be able to imagine the fright he must have experienced. The
very thought --- the raw emotions --- of leaving for a war at such a young
age is impossible for me to comprehend, I'm ashamed to admit.
He returned a different man?..older, much wiser, but with the knowledge
that the future would be brighter for the world. He married a young girl
from his community, and within a few years, he was the proud father of a
son. However, his health was failing?.and failing fast.
You see, chemicals can kill.
If you're lucky, you go quickly. He wasn't that fortunate.
It was a slow painful death that took a young man in top physical condition
and made him into an old man in a period of only a few years. The last
months were hell as he fought to get his breath. He left behind a son not
yet three years old and a widow.
**********************
He was the second generation of his family to be born in the U.S.
He never really remembered much about his father, but his grandfather and
aunts and uncles told him many stories of this man --his father -- that he
would remember throughout his life.
The "great depression" taught him about the value of family and friends.
About honesty. About integrity. You might even say he knew first-hand
about the horrors of war, nevertheless, on December 8th, 1941, he proudly
stood in a long line of men and women to enlist and defend his country.
Very shortly thereafter, he, too, found himself on a ship bound for Europe.
(and again, I admit in shame that I can't fathom what must have been going
through his young mind.)
Within a year, two ships on which he served were torpedoed. He watched in
horror as his friends were maimed or killed on foreign soil. His auditory
nerves were damaged; so much so that he would not be able to fully enjoy
the sounds that a young man his age should hear: The sound of a gentle
wind through pines; the soft sigh of his first child.
Four years is a long time.
It is an eternity when you're at war.
To his final days on this earth, he would 'jump' as he awoke. And you'd
learn not to touch him as he slept, because you'd most likely be knocked to
the floor as he seemed to come awake and stand straight up without bending
at the knees.
Both of these men went to war when their country called.
Both of these men felt that their time spent in their late teens and early
twenties was well worth the sacrifice?.because they knew the value of
freedom.
Both of these men came home changed?.and no matter how hard their young
wives or closest friends tried, they, in the end, would never ever be able
to quite reach the men they loved?..there was always, deep down, a wall
that would never be breached. (perhaps that's where the horrors these men
witnessed were locked up, never to be opened again)
Both of these men wanted more for the next generation
Both of these men ? along with millions of men and women very much like
them, fought so that you and I could spend our time on this earth with
freedoms the world has never known.
Both of these men looked upon the American Flag as a talisman and as one of
the most beautiful things they'd ever seen??(I know, because one told me so
himself)
Both of these men would be somewhat embarrassed that I brought their
stories to your attention. They simply felt that what they did was the
right thing to do.
One of these men was my grandfather??who passed away in 1926 from the
effects of Mustard Gas Poisoning while serving in World War One.
The other was my father who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
They are much better men than I will ever hope to be. Period.
They are heros in my eyes.
And one of them paid the ultimate price so that I can drive or fly anywhere
I want to. That I can live a life that so many in this world cannot even
fathom?.let alone dream about. That I can talk freely about my government
without fear of retaliation. That I can be assured that I have a Bill of
Rights and a Constitution. That I can spend time with great friends from
across this country. That I should not have to suffer as they did for
freedom.
I'm very certain that each of you have similar stories of fathers and
mothers; brothers and sisters; grandfathers and grandmothers; and dear
friends. They, too, are heros in my eyes as I'm sure they are in yours.
I know that many of you reading this are veterans.
To you, I give you my unending gratitude, but you know, that really seems
so?????inadequate.
Today, we have men and women worldwide serving our country?.so that we, as
well as others, will be able to experience freedom.
This November 11th, we'll remember those who gave their lives.
The question is, will we REALLY remember?
Will we REALLY think about the millions of men and women who were killed.
Or about the millions whose lives were forever changed?
Will we really grasp the enormity???????????????
Will we REALLY think about the hundreds of thousands in active duty as you
read this?
Please?..take a moment at the end of this note.
Please take a quiet moment?.and say a prayer for those who are serving our
country that they'll come home to us.
Say a prayer of thanks for those who have served.
When you see a veteran, thank them. Show them the respect they deserve.
And make a commitment never to forget that many paid a terrible, terrible
price so that you and I can be free.
God Bless our Veterans.
God Bless the Men and Women of our Armed Services.
And God Bless America.
Dear Camaro Comrades and Firebird Friends.......
The following is not Camaro/Firebird related. I wrote it in Microsoft
Word....however, sometimes dashes show up as question marks in the
translation.....so if you see a lot of question marks, substitute 'em with
dashes...........
There are a couple of important dates coming up --- I hope you will keep
them in mind?.
Tuesday, November 2nd is Election Day. Get out and vote. It's an honor
and a privilege that we enjoy in this country. No Excuses!
Thursday, November 11th is Veterans Day (formerly Armistice Day ?.the
11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month?..)
I wrote the following one evening in Atlanta during the Memorial Day
Weekend as I was thinking of our Veterans?..and decided that perhaps I
should save it for Veterans Day??..so??here goes??
In the last months and years?.since 9/11 and the war in Iraq, we've talked
about supporting our troops.
We've seen our friends go off to war?some not to return.
Be forewarned!
I'm about to wave the flag.
So?.if you're not interested, please don't proceed.
Here goes:
He was the first generation of his family to be born in the U. S.
It was, perhaps, a simpler time?.yet with what he perceived as modern
conveniences ? coupled with the freedom his family enjoyed, and a plot of
land ? he felt it was a great time to be alive.
Trouble was brewing on the horizon as he grew into manhood?.and soon his
country would call.
The stories he heard from his parents, aunts, and uncles throughout his
young life allowed him to understand just how important freedom is?.and so
he sailed to Europe ? with other very young men very much like him. They
would be asked to fight for a noble cause.
I will never be able to imagine the fright he must have experienced. The
very thought --- the raw emotions --- of leaving for a war at such a young
age is impossible for me to comprehend, I'm ashamed to admit.
He returned a different man?..older, much wiser, but with the knowledge
that the future would be brighter for the world. He married a young girl
from his community, and within a few years, he was the proud father of a
son. However, his health was failing?.and failing fast.
You see, chemicals can kill.
If you're lucky, you go quickly. He wasn't that fortunate.
It was a slow painful death that took a young man in top physical condition
and made him into an old man in a period of only a few years. The last
months were hell as he fought to get his breath. He left behind a son not
yet three years old and a widow.
**********************
He was the second generation of his family to be born in the U.S.
He never really remembered much about his father, but his grandfather and
aunts and uncles told him many stories of this man --his father -- that he
would remember throughout his life.
The "great depression" taught him about the value of family and friends.
About honesty. About integrity. You might even say he knew first-hand
about the horrors of war, nevertheless, on December 8th, 1941, he proudly
stood in a long line of men and women to enlist and defend his country.
Very shortly thereafter, he, too, found himself on a ship bound for Europe.
(and again, I admit in shame that I can't fathom what must have been going
through his young mind.)
Within a year, two ships on which he served were torpedoed. He watched in
horror as his friends were maimed or killed on foreign soil. His auditory
nerves were damaged; so much so that he would not be able to fully enjoy
the sounds that a young man his age should hear: The sound of a gentle
wind through pines; the soft sigh of his first child.
Four years is a long time.
It is an eternity when you're at war.
To his final days on this earth, he would 'jump' as he awoke. And you'd
learn not to touch him as he slept, because you'd most likely be knocked to
the floor as he seemed to come awake and stand straight up without bending
at the knees.
Both of these men went to war when their country called.
Both of these men felt that their time spent in their late teens and early
twenties was well worth the sacrifice?.because they knew the value of
freedom.
Both of these men came home changed?.and no matter how hard their young
wives or closest friends tried, they, in the end, would never ever be able
to quite reach the men they loved?..there was always, deep down, a wall
that would never be breached. (perhaps that's where the horrors these men
witnessed were locked up, never to be opened again)
Both of these men wanted more for the next generation
Both of these men ? along with millions of men and women very much like
them, fought so that you and I could spend our time on this earth with
freedoms the world has never known.
Both of these men looked upon the American Flag as a talisman and as one of
the most beautiful things they'd ever seen??(I know, because one told me so
himself)
Both of these men would be somewhat embarrassed that I brought their
stories to your attention. They simply felt that what they did was the
right thing to do.
One of these men was my grandfather??who passed away in 1926 from the
effects of Mustard Gas Poisoning while serving in World War One.
The other was my father who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
They are much better men than I will ever hope to be. Period.
They are heros in my eyes.
And one of them paid the ultimate price so that I can drive or fly anywhere
I want to. That I can live a life that so many in this world cannot even
fathom?.let alone dream about. That I can talk freely about my government
without fear of retaliation. That I can be assured that I have a Bill of
Rights and a Constitution. That I can spend time with great friends from
across this country. That I should not have to suffer as they did for
freedom.
I'm very certain that each of you have similar stories of fathers and
mothers; brothers and sisters; grandfathers and grandmothers; and dear
friends. They, too, are heros in my eyes as I'm sure they are in yours.
I know that many of you reading this are veterans.
To you, I give you my unending gratitude, but you know, that really seems
so?????inadequate.
Today, we have men and women worldwide serving our country?.so that we, as
well as others, will be able to experience freedom.
This November 11th, we'll remember those who gave their lives.
The question is, will we REALLY remember?
Will we REALLY think about the millions of men and women who were killed.
Or about the millions whose lives were forever changed?
Will we really grasp the enormity???????????????
Will we REALLY think about the hundreds of thousands in active duty as you
read this?
Please?..take a moment at the end of this note.
Please take a quiet moment?.and say a prayer for those who are serving our
country that they'll come home to us.
Say a prayer of thanks for those who have served.
When you see a veteran, thank them. Show them the respect they deserve.
And make a commitment never to forget that many paid a terrible, terrible
price so that you and I can be free.
God Bless our Veterans.
God Bless the Men and Women of our Armed Services.
And God Bless America.
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