redelk
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posted December 06, 2007 05:47 AM
Remembering Those That Serve This Christmas (a repost)
I first posted this in '02. I think it is worth reposting today.
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
AND ON THE WALL, PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBERING THOUGHT CAME TO MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, SO DARK AND SO DREARY,
THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, NOW I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE."
"I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND SOON DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL,
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD EVENING'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE, WHISPERED,
"CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
I was too young for Viet Nam and too old for the Gulf.
Yet, when I awake on Christmas morning, I will think of those that have in the past and are currently spending their Christmas far away from their loved ones and sacrificing it all... just so I can hear they joyful screams of my grand daughter, as she opened her presents.
While I will always keep the men and women who are serving our great nation in my prayers, I also wish to thank each and every one of them for giving me the opportunity to enjoy one of life's greatest pleasures... FREEDOM.
May God bless and look over each and every one of you.
Thank you.
............................................................................................................
I first posted this in '03 and also feel it is worth reposting.
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
my daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep
in perfect contentment, or so it would seem.
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
and I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old
Perhaps a Marine Man, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,
to the window that danced with a warm fire's light
then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
"I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night"
"Its my duty to stand at the front of the line,
that separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me."
"My Gramps died at Pearl, on a day in December,"
then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam
And now it is my turn and so, here I am."
"I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile."
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red white and blue... an American flag.
"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home,
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat,
I can carry the weight of killing another
or lay down my life with my sisters and brothers
who stand at the front against any and all,
to insure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone.
To stand your own watch, no matter how long."
"For when we come home, either standing or dead,
to know you remember we fought and we bled
is payment enough, and with that we will trust.
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."
To the fine men and women who serve this great nation in both times of peace and of war... I salute you... I thank you... I pray for your safe return... and I will never forget you. God Bless.
*********************************************************************************************
This will also be the second Christmas that my WWII vet father will not be with us in the flesh, but his spirit will be there as strong as ever.
Merry Christmas Dad.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
   
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 06, 2007 05:57 AM
Sherm, thats a good read, I enjoy it everytime I see it....brings tears to my eyes as I can relate to whats its about....thanks for remembering those of us that have missed, and will miss holidays in the future, due to our service to our country...
____________
When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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blueford
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posted December 06, 2007 06:34 AM
Well that's a little weepy and religious for me, but shit, go man the 50 cal. and do your job! Kill them fuckers and remember real warriors don't cry!
And hope Georgey Boy hasn't made the Republican Party an extinct species.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted December 06, 2007 06:49 AM
50 cal? The Bradley is a much better machine for mowing them down. 
____________
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Muzzy M10/M14
PCIII w/ Muzzy map
Flies out K&N in!
bits n pieces...
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Hells Dark Lord
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Posts: 7981
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posted December 06, 2007 02:14 PM
I have used both, they are equally effective.....
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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twista
Zone Head
" Get up, and Stay up ! "
Posts: 797
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posted December 06, 2007 03:10 PM
BLU 2000 Lbs. bunker buster,,
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" When in Doubt, There is no Doubt !"
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Hells Dark Lord
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living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
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posted December 06, 2007 05:27 PM
seen those dropped as well....along with JDAMS on some caves....they work well as well.....lol
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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stevewfl
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posted December 06, 2007 10:16 PM
 Edited By: stevewfl on 6 Dec 2007 22:22
Here is an example of one of 'em to remember too.
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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Hells Dark Lord
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living life, and loving it.
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posted December 07, 2007 01:12 AM
now that is my kinda woman.......where can I find her???
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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lietoome
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posted December 07, 2007 01:31 AM
very cool, thank you.
HDL, I'll be back in November. BTW, I love that set of soft luggage...thanks for the sweet deal.
Jeff
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Hells Dark Lord
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living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
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posted December 07, 2007 01:40 AM
Dude...I will be home in a few days....glad you enjoy the saddle bags, I got lots of good use out of them....glad you are too....
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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redelk
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Please... speak to the hand.
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posted December 07, 2007 09:11 AM
Edited By: redelk on 7 Dec 2007 09:19
quote:
Here is an example of one of 'em to remember too.
After reading the info at the bottom, I was both confused and "in love". The "in love" part is probably obvious. The confusion comes from the fact that doesn't look like any opening on a AC-130... and it isn't. It's a HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter.
The pic was taken in February of '02 while she was at Tech School. She is kinda special though. Below is the AF press release on her.
US Air Force Airman Vanessa Dobos, assigned to the 58th Training Squadron, Kirkland Air Force Base, New Mexico, look out the crew door of a USAF HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, equipped with a 7.62mm M134 Minigun machine gun.
AMN Dobos will be the first female aerial gunner in the USAF when she graduates from the technical school in a few weeks.
Here's the rest of the story behind the pic: http://www.af.mil/news/airman/1103/gunssb1.html
I believe her first deployment was to Iraq in Jan. '03. Not sure about where she's been since.
I'm still in love.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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lietoome
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posted December 07, 2007 10:48 AM
I just had to save that pic....DAAAYUUUM!
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blueford
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posted December 07, 2007 11:10 AM
Oh, shit, little heads on parade, use your big noodle.
Any female whose behavior falls outside expected norms, is in my opinion, a potential emotional problem case, that is, if one prefers girly girls, as in, those delicate female creatures that could spend an hour doing their nails, as opposed to the types that wrench on bikes, for example.
"Hey handsome you want to fuck" doesn't do it for me!
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Hells Dark Lord
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living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
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posted December 13, 2007 05:25 AM
Bump to keep this on the first page...
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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bigdtd
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Interceptors
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posted December 13, 2007 07:59 PM
thanks to all that help us keep our country free
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2006 Black ZX-14,6 inches over,16/42, flies out,BMC Street Filter,Brock's Street Meg,Brock's Radial Mount Strap,PClll with Race map,Dynojet LCD w/Techmount, ZX-14 fender eliminator,Pilot Power2CTs,Speedohealer,Pazzo Levers,Cox Radiator Guard, Garmin Nuvi 265WT
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RyuNinja14
Expert Class
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posted December 14, 2007 10:18 PM
God bless our fighting men and women!
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fury
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posted December 15, 2007 05:43 AM
Please do not loose sight of the real msg above.
Families torn apart. Loved ones missed.
It is a sacrifice. One the government still does not acknowledge.
If they truly did, none of the vets would be faced with poverty, divorce, or for that matter loss of loved ones.
THey wouldnt be in a waiting list for help. THey would just be served. I wish a better reception for them when they return. I wish they had the respect they deserve from the people and the government they serve. Above all I ask in Jesus name that all the men and women who have served find peace in their lives.
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