What would they think of our winter...

I just finished a book about the Battle of the Bulge and got to thinking about our winter and the one those WWII Soldiers endured. When we get too cold or tired of shoveling, we go inside where it’s warm. They couldn’t….there were no warm places for them. When we get tired, we sleep in our warm beds. They slept where they could, usually standing in their foxhole which was frozen, or muddy with water in the bottom. We get too bummed, we can go to Florida. Their only way out was on a stretcher or a short trip to the rear for a cup of coffee and then right back to the front. The story was pretty much the same for Korean War Soldiers who survived those three brutal winters. Thoughts of the Yalu River and Inchon Valley bring involuntary shudders from those who were there.

Take a minute to think how you would like to be out in this weather all the time with not much hope of getting something hot to eat, let alone people shooting at you day and night. It makes me even more thankful for those men and women who did and paid the price for our freedoms and for the freedoms of people they would never know.

So now what? How do you repay people like that? One way is to help sponsor a three-day trip for them to Washington DC to see their memorial. The Shelby County Vets to DC Committee has done this for two years and is currently raising funds to sponsor our next trip on May 21-23.

You can help get these heroes to DC by donating to this cause. Volunteers will be passing out flyers and taking donations in the next couple of months at various places throughout Shelby county and surrounding areas. Also, donations in any amount can be sent to The Shelby County Vets to DC, PO Box 408, Anna, Ohio 45302 and checks should be made out to “VFW Post 4239/Vets to DC.” All donations are tax deductible. You can even sponsor a Veteran’s trip in memory of someone for only $355.00. We’ve had people pass the hat at family picnics or reunions to get enough funds to “send a Vet in Grandpa’s name.” What a great way to honor a Veteran and Grandpa's memory.

The people of Sidney and the Shelby County area have made it possible for over 90 Vets to take this trip to date. We also have another trip scheduled for WWII and Korean War Vets in September. Our pledge to you and them is that we will continue to do this as long as the people support it. But please don’t put it off…some of these heroes won’t have another chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. (Maya Angelou)

Hooah

Not everything was shut down in Washington this week...

18", 26", 42" and more. These snowfall totals rocked the wholly unprepared Washington area this past week and our nation's governmental process was shut down. The transportation system -- rails, metro, airlines -- were also all driven to the ground. Basically, the whole shooting match came to a grinding halt, for better or worst.

Well, that's not totally true. There was a group of Soldiers that still performed it's honored assignment, still bore "true faith and allegiance" to those who went before, to those Unknown Three who symbolize the sacrifices our Warriors paid for our freedoms.

Thank God for these Soldiers.
Thank God for their devotion to duty.
Thank God for their message.


I dream of a time, maybe not too far from now, when my grandson will ask me, "Grandpa, what was war?"

HOOAH