A SOLDIER'S VIEW OF MJ'S DEATH........

A SOLDIER'S VIEW OF MJ'S DEATH........

This is written by a young man serving his third tour of duty in Iraq.
Thought you might find his take on the Michael Jackson news interesting.
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Okay, I need to rant.
I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael
Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer
who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent Millions, and he did a
lot of things that make him a villain to many people. I understand that his
death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his
death, but that isn't the point of my rant.
Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds
with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the Country was to
ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial
in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence"
for his passing?
Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a
freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all
those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who,
knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands
and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America. Where
is their moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or
memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice?
Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance,"
and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the
Sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their
deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"
I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS For
Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every Service
member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every
life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous
little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and
those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take
too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that
sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never
star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only
shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.
Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Remember these five words
the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military; "So that
others may live..."

Some Summer Recipes from a Fort Benning Wife and Mother

With summer in full swing and the Fourth of July just around the corner, I thought I would raid my recipes to find my family’s favorite summer recipes. I do not have exact recipes for most of these so I will do the best I can in telling you how to make them. These recipes are my favorite that my mother passed on to me.
Pasta salad
1 box of Rotini pasta (tri color looks nice)
1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing (If you are feeling ambitious you can make your own)
2 small cans of diced black olive
1 package of feta cheese (If you don’t like feta it is great with provolone as well)
1 package of sliced pepperoni ( I cut the pepperoni rounds in half)
1 green peeper diced (optional)
1 red onion diced (optional)
All you do to make this is cook the pasta and then toss with the other ingredients. I have noticed that this tastes better if you make it the day before and let everything marinate overnight but it is great the same day as well. (The last time I made this I added diced pastrami and salami and everyone loved it)

Fruit Salad
1 large can of chunk pineapple
1 large can of mandarin oranges drained
1 bag of grapes (I like to cut the grapes in half)
3 bananas sliced thin
1 container of cool whip
1 Package of mini marshmallows
1 large package of instant pudding (I use vanilla but you can use other flavors if you like)
To make this you take the pineapple, not drained, and stir in the package of instant pudding. Allow to set and then add the rest of the fruit. Fold in cool whip and marshmallows. If you want to make this a day ahead wait to add the bananas and cool whip or it may get soggy.
Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip
2 cups of Diced cooked chicken (you can cook it yourself or if you are in a hurry buy precooked chicken)
1 package of shredded mild cheddar ( Colby jack is good as well)
2 packages of softened cream cheese
1 bottle of chicken wing sauce (I use Nancy’s)
1 bottle of blue cheese or ranch dressing (or you can make your own)
1 packet of Italian dressing mix
To make take the cooked chicken, Italian dressing mix, and chicken wing sauce in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm. While this is heating take a 13x9 inch pan and spread the cream cheese on the bottom of the pan. Then pour chicken mixture over the cream cheese. Next pour the ranch or blue cheese on the top of the chicken mixture. Finally top with the shredded cheese. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven until cheese is melted on top and dip is heated through. You can serve this with tortilla chips or bread.
I hope you enjoy these recipes these are great to bring to pot lucks, Family Group Readiness events, or just a summer picnic.

Operation Homefront on the Today Show

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/31081978#31101591

20 Military Couples Say "I Do"

OPHFGA
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2009

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kim Scofi, Chapter President
770-973-0014
georgia@operationhomefront.net
20 Military Couples Say "I Do"
Operation Homefront Georgia hosts a dream wedding for 20 Ft. Benning couples, June 13.
Columbus, GA - June 13, 2009

Marriage for many begins with a budget, calendar and a long list of dreams. Stir into the mix cost of living, military careers and multiple deployments and you have military couples marrying at the Justice of the Peace. 20 couples with Ft. Benning ties will have the opportunity June 13th to have the wedding of their dreams and memories for a lifetime as they join Operation Homefront Georgia in Operation Wedding Bells.

Military WeddingBrides will don beautiful designer gowns and veils generously donated by Alfred Angelo of Miami, FL to Operation Homefront Georgia as they walk down the aisle to meet the Soldier of their dreams at the Columbus Botanical Gardens. Each bride received not only the dress and headpiece but professional hair design, manicure, pedicure and make up application to truly feel like a princess. Thanks to the generosity of the Columbus Botanical Gardens these wonderful couples and their guests will have a spectacular outdoor wedding in a beautiful garden setting. The Columbus Botanical Gardens not only donated the space for the wedding, but the volunteers to serve as ushers and attendants and designed and created all of the flowers to include bouquets. Hooters of America, a corporate sponsor of Operation Homefront will provide food and beverage for all of the couples and their guests (250) along with a very special honeymoon for one lucky couple that day.

"The couples participating have faced a variety of issues which precluded them from every girls dream wedding. We want to give these military members and their betrothed a memory to hold onto as these families will face a long deployment soon enough. Operation Homefront Georgia is committed to supporting these wonderful Soldiers and the Families of Ft. Benning along with all installations around the state."said, Kim Scofi, Chapter President, Operation Homefront Georgia.

*
WHO: 20 Ft. Benning Couples & Operation Homefront Georgia
WHAT: Operation Wedding Bells & Vow Renewals
WHEN: 13 June, 2009 5:00 PM
WHERE: Columbus Botanical Gardens, 3603 Weems Road, Columbus, GA 706-327-8400

About Operation Homefront Georgia

Operation Homefront Georgia provides emergency and morale assistance for our troops, the families they leave behind and for wounded warriors when they return home. A nonprofit 501(c)(3), Operation Homefront Georgia leads more than 400 volunteers in Georgia, and has provided critical assistance to more than 8,000 military families in need. Operation Homefront, Inc. hosts the Web community Operation Homefront Online. For more information, please visit Operation Homefront Georgia and Homefront Online.
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The Perspective of a Fort Benning Military Wife and Mother-Summer in Georgia

Summertime is upon us. Along with the scorching heat comes the fun of block leave and summer vacations. If you are looking for a vacation that is within driving distance then a nice family beach vacation idea is Tybee Island on the Eastern Georgia Coast. It is about a four and a half hour drive through the beautiful Georgia countryside. We made the drive in our Mercury Sable on about three quarters of a tank of gas.
For those who are unfamiliar with where Tybee Island is located, it is the coastal area right near Savannah, Georgia. The beach is absolutely beautiful and it is very family friendly. We rented a three bedroom condo with our family right on the beach and it was about $300 per family for the week which we considered very affordable. There are other options for lodging here as well such a multitude of hotels as well as rental houses. As for the atmosphere the beach is not overly touristy but there are many things to do.
One family outing that we took was to the downtown area on the island. On that end of the island you can find souvenir shops, ice cream stores, lots of restaurants, and the pier. The pier was our favorite spot. On the pier there was an ice cream shop, a hot dog stand, and a bar. There is a covered pavilion that has ample seating. At the end of the pier there is a smaller pavilion that had benches and a beautiful view of the rolling waves.
Another day we went on a Dolphin Cruise. My stepdaughter is an animal fanatic so no vacation is complete without some sort of animal excursion. The dolphin cruise was a ninety minute boat ride. It cost $15 per adult and $7 per child. We were somewhat nervous that after paying for the boat ride we may not see dolphins but as it turned out we could not believe how many dolphins we saw. We even got to see two baby dolphins which the children loved.
My favorite part of the trip was the beach. The beach was a good combination or soft sand and hard packed sand closer to the water. This gave us option of lying out and building sand castles in the soft sand and taking walks or riding bikes on the packed sand. The water this time of year was perfect not too cold but yet not to hot as to not be refreshing. We enjoyed many hours on the beach playing in the water either boogie boarding in the waves and looking for hermit crabs in the tide pools.
My husband’s favorite part of the trip was the lighthouse and the Military forts. My husband was a history teacher before he came into the army so anytime that we vacation we usually visit the local historical land marks. The lighthouse was our favorite part of the day because it had a beautiful view.
The last thing that we did while on vacation was eat. We ate, and ate, and ate but with all of the fresh seafood how could you not. Our favorite place to eat was the crab shack. This restaurant is awesome. There is seating indoors or out depending on the weather, awesome décor, an even an alligator pit that you can feed the alligators. The portions here were huge and the food was good. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who comes to the area.
We were so busy the whole time that we were on vacation and with Savannah so close there is so much more that we could have done. I highly recommend Tybee Island to anyone looking for a great beach getaway.
CJ

The Perspective of a Fort Benning Military Wife and Mother

One of the hardest parts of being a military wife here in Columbus, Georgia is that our extended families are not here. We find ourselves trying to keep in touch with out of town family but even with modern technology it can still be hard. Lucky for my husband and I both our families are within driving distance so we are constantly entertaining family. This brings up the problem of trying to find new and interesting things to do in Columbus without spending too much.
One thing that we found to be entertaining was to go for walks on the scenic trail at the Columbus Botanical Gardens. This was especially nice for our grandparents and parents. They enjoyed getting out doors and being able to see the beautiful flora and fauna. My stepdaughter Ana, who is five, said she loved seeing all the pretty flowers. The best part was that it is free. This is nice if you are looking to get out of the house but don’t want to break their budget.
Another good place that we like to go that is also free is Cooper Creek Park. This is a favorite of our children. They have multiple playgrounds, picnic tables, grills, and a beautiful lake view. Our favorite outing is to take picnic food and have dinner at the park. The park also has walking and fitness trails. If you like getting out but feel guilty leaving the family pet, after all they are part of the family too, this park is pet friendly. This is our favorite park but there are many beautiful parks in Muscogee County.
A place that is slightly more expensive but worth the trip, is Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia. This gives families a chance to experience wildlife that is not native to the area up close and personal. We visited Animal Safari one weekend when my in-laws were in town and my niece Sylvia (3) loved it so much that every time that she comes to visit she asks if we can go back. This outing is pricy but it is fun to go if you are looking for something unique to do with family and don’t mind the splurge.
If the outdoors is not your cup of tea there are other options here is Columbus. The Columbus museum of art is also a great place to take the family. While it is not free it is fairly inexpensive. There are so many programs for adults as well as families. The museum has everything from Egyptian art to Architecture. They also have a restaurant so you can eat and then take a tour of the museum. This is one of my personal favorites for a family outing.
Hollywood Connection is my stepdaughter’s favorite place to go on a family outing. This is a family friendly movie theater and more. Most of the movies that are shown there are family movies which is nice for us because we have two children under 6. Not only is there movies but there are also amusement rides as well as movie snacks.
There are many things to do here in Columbus. I find that getting out when family is in town helps us all to have a better time. Sometimes it can be overbearing to have a house full of family and it helps to alleviate that stress by getting everyone out of the house. It also helps to tire out children who may be over stimulated by the extra people in the house. Columbus is a great place for families and we have found it to be a great place to be stationed.
C.J.

The Perspective of what it is like to be a Georgia Military Wife

The Perspective of what it is like to be a Georgia Military Wife

As I sat there in the oh so comfortable gynecologist chair with my one year old son next to me in his stroller screaming because he did not want to be confined and would prefer to be exploring the room on foot, I realized that being a military wife can be difficult at times. If I had a husband who worked in the civilian sector and did not go to the field for days or weeks or even months at a time, then when I could not find a babysitter he could step in and save the day instead of me bringing my son, or my little shadow, as I so fondly call him, along for what is already an uncomfortable event without a screaming child. Part of what it means to be a military wife and mother is that you are a part time single parent as well. Dealing with this means being able to understand what your husband’s duties are as a soldier and the willingness to pick up the slack when he is gone from time to time.

Another aspect of being a military wife is being flexible. This means that when you have a romantic evening for the two of you planned with babysitter and everything and he gets a call that someone needs him to cover staff duty last minute, that while you may be disappointed you don’t freak out and take it out on him. It also means that when you plan a vacation you purchase the travel insurance because you never know when things might change. My favorite phrase when talking about field time or deployments is “unless amended or extended.” This says it all. Things change all the time in the military. Nothing is set in stone and the sooner that military spouses understand this and accept it the sooner they will be better able to cope with the military lifestyle and the better the quality of life will be for the military families. Am I saying that everything has been 100% okay all the time since I accepted this fact? Well no, it is just that once I was able to put things into proper perspective and be more flexible things did get easier.

As for being a military wife in Georgia I would say that it is probably the same as being a military wife anywhere else except for the scorching heat in the summers and months of frizzy hair due to high humidity. There is plenty to do here at this base with Atlanta being nearby. Being stationed here is just like being stationed anywhere else, there are things I love and things that are not so great but it is all what you make of it. I heard this saying that home is where the Army sends you. All you can do is make the best of it.

So is being a military wife all hard work and no play? Of course, not. We have husbands who do a job that is truly respectable and worthy of admiration. Don’t let my husband read this or it will go straight to his head, but I am so proud of what he does. (Only kidding my husband knows I am proud.) Also one of the perks of having a husband who does a dangerous job is that he and I are very appreciative of our time together. When we do have time together we try to make it quality family time and try not to take any of it for granted.

My husband and I had a conversation before we got married about how I would deal with military life. I told him that I would rather have him for whatever amount of time that I could get as opposed to living every day with anyone else. So yes, at times being a military wife is hard. We make many sacrifices in our families so that our husbands can defend our country. All in all I would not change.
-C. Jordan

2000 is the Magic Number by May 30th

We hope you'll join us by sending this blog address to everyone you know. We'd like to show our 2000 Georgia Troops and their Families currently in Afghanistan just how much support they really do have at home. Please send this information to your contacts so we can have 2000:2000 by May 30th!

Join us on:

Hometown Hero

Do you know of a Hometown Hero?

Hometown Hero
Nominate a Hometown Hero today! The Atlanta Braves and Operation Homefront Georgia want to award your Hometown Hero with 4-755 Club Seats, parking and a meal for a Sunday, home game. Email us with your Hometown Hero recommendation and why.
Winners to be notified by telephone

Does anyone know about this? Please comment

Navy Petty Officer Mike Monsoor PO2 (EOD2) (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Mike Monsoor, a Navy EOD Technician, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for jumping on a grenade in Iraq, giving his life to save his fellow Seals. (Notice: Mike was not a Navy SEAL, he was EOD. He gave his life to save a group of Navy SEALS.) During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego , as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery , SEALs were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of two's, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin. The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it. This was a fitting send-off for a warrior hero.. This should be front-page news instead of the we see every day.. God Bless our Troops

Hometown Hero - Sgt. Fair

Operation Homefront Georgia and the Atlanta Braves are honoring "Hometown Heroes" every Sunday at Braves' home games this season. On May 3, Sgt. Fair, United States Marine Corps was honored during the sixth inning by all fans at Turner Field. Sgt. Fair was escorted out onto the field where he got the crowd on their feet. Photographs of Sgt. Fair were shown on the outfield jumbotron after the announcer spoke of his tours in Iraq and great service to our country. Sgt. Fair received high fives and hand shakes all around as he exited the field back to his seat.

We are so proud of Sgt. Fair and his family, not only for his bravery and service but for being a genuinely nice person. Way to go Sgt. Fair!

Photographs & Videos forthcoming. To see all Sunday highlights of heroes visit the blog often!

A Bride's Story

We were never the romantic couple. We have always been the best of friends, pals,team mates (college track ), and each other's gate keepers. I guess that is why when our children came along it was very easy to not miss the date nights or romantic evenings. We had never really had them. We've always done everything as a family. As the years passed, I did notice that, the more frequently he was separated from us to fulfill his military obligations, the more I loved being a MOM. I completely threw myself into Motherhood and my career. Fast forward 19 years, two career changes,graduate school, first born off to college, Korea, GTMO and 3 tours in Iraq. I remember one night I looked at my husband and thought "Who is this guy?" I felt like I didn't even know him anymore.. We had totally lost US. I asking him one night, " So is this it for us Did GOD bring us this far for this? Can you believe my husband didn't even answer? I was so upset. I remember being emotional, excitable and he was...well, a rock, my fortress, my Gilbralter upon which I had built my house.
That summer night I had conceded to being another empty nester statistic in just a few more years.
Oh but, it gets better. After a lot of hard work and many detailed hours of "us time" fast forward: prayer, church, Date Night.
To my utter astonishment, one day en route to work, I passed my husband who is standing on the interstate with a sign that reads, "I am still hopelessly in love with my wife of 19 years. Happy Valentine's Day Sweetie. I love you!!!" Fast forward April 2009: I receive an email from him, in the subject line it says "You have to do this!" I opened it, read it and discover that he has confirmed our presence at a Marriage Vow Renewal Ceremony and a dress fitting.
I called him at work immediately and before I could say anything he said "No, God did not bring us this far to leave us. We will be together until HE comes to get us!" I just held the phone and thought "WOW! Who is this guy?!!"  

Operation Wedding Bells

Ahhh, spring flowers, mild breezes and wedding dresses.  Operation Homefront Georgia received a donation of over 300 designer wedding dresses to gift to military brides to be.  Danise and Myra worked with ladies from Ft. Benning, Georgia to fit 78 dresses thus far.  They look stunning!  

Some of the stories are absolutely amazing to hear.  We have two female Soldiers getting married, one is marrying another Soldier and they are both scheduled to deploy sometime this year.  Others started their marriage with a visit to the Jusitce of the Peace and wish to renew their vows in a formal setting prior to their husband's possible deployment.  We'll add stories here regularly of these wonderful couples who are participating in our June 13th wedding at the Columbus Botanical Gardens.

Please check back often to read about these amazing people!

Click here to view photographs of the brides to be with their dresses.

Shame on the American Media

You're an 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia DrangValley , 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.
Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.
Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come.
He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the Doctors and Nurses.
And, he kept coming back..... 13 more times..... And took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman,died last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise, ID......May God rest his soul.....

I bet you didn't hear about this hero's

passing, but we sure were told a whole

bunch about some Hip-Hop Coward

beating the nonsense out of his "girlfriend"

Medal of Honor Winner

Ed Freeman!

MAY HIS SOUL AND ALL THE SOULS OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED,

THROUGH GOD'S MERCY

MAY ETERNAL REST BE GRANTED HIM AND MAY

PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON HIM FOR EVER AND EVER.

AMEN.

Shame on the American Media