We Must Be More Than An Army At War and A Nation At Peace...

March 17, 2008 | | Comments (4)

[Kat]

From the Vets for Freedom, LTC Steve Russell (partial transcript)

America has never been built on the labor and the hard work of the cynic and the critic. Americans of the past knew how to sacrifice and they knew the difference between what was evil and what was good; who was a threat and who was harmless. Whether to live free or quit and die.

So, where do we go from here? What can Americans do at this critical hour? America must sacrifice today along with her men and women in uniform. We must be more than an army at war and a nation at peace. Here are some things that America can sacrifice on behalf of her soldiers: Sacrifice doubt. Sacrifice anxiety. Sacrifice any notion that allows us to come home from this war as losers.

It will not be enough to remember our service and our losses in this war on slabs of marble and national monuments on black stone. That is only remembering. And, it's not enough. If we want to honor those who will never come home; the true heroes who sacrificed their youth, their future, their ability to love; who will never raise a family in the very freedoms that their sacrifice purchased; or live to a ripe old age to see their grandchildren. That we must honor what they fought for and honor it with victory.

They are the true heroes that we honor tonight and we owe them no less.

Americans today are so apprehensive and we fret about so many things. But, the difference between what is good and evil has not changed, only our ability as a nation to identify it.

Vets for Freedom, National Heroes Tour will be in Kansas City on March 26/27:

What: Townhall at The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial: Vets for Freedom will participate in a townhall & forum event with a book signing from the Vets for Freedom Heroes to follow.

When: 6pm March 26th

Where: 100 W. 26th Street, Kansas City MO, 64108

Event is still tentative check back often for updates

I will be there with video camera and interviewer cap on if I get a chance to chat with them. Working on it. (PS..is it too late to nominate LTC Steve Russell for President?)

Check Vets for Freedom for other tour locations.

More Vets for Freedom Video

Another project for local supporters of the troops (or anyone else interested), I received a note from Soldiers' Angels Alert Team:

Missouri will have its largest deployment of NG (national guard) since WW I, serving under Global War on Terror orders. My boss at the Missouri Veterans Commission is the Commanding General over the entire contingent that covers 7 states (including NG from California)

We have created: Operation: Letters to A Peacekeeping Hero! and are hoping folks will help out by sending letters of thank you (no dates on them) just addressed to: Dear Soldier; Dear Hero; Dear Troop - so that we can gather in to 5100 letters in all and then we will send them to his Chief of Staff for disbursement.

We are working on an April 1 deadline to receive the letters at the address listed below:

Pat Rowe Kerr
State Veterans Ombudsman and
Director, Operation Outreach
Missouri Veterans Commission
205 Jefferson Street, 12th Floor
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Help us support our troops! We have had troops in Kosovo for over 10 years. After the Serbian death squads began ethnic cleansing, our troops were deployed to protect the innocent civilians and keep Europe from exploding again. We stay there because peace is still a tenuous thing. Recently, Kosovo declared Independence and Serbian nationalists were angered once again. These troops do hard work, have maintained security, treated the ill, built schools, built local governance, trained police and many other programs to help secure the peace and return Kosovo to a fully functioning country. Please support them by writing a letter and telling them that their service to our nation, wherever it is, whatever they do, is something to be proud of and something we appreciate.

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4 Comments

By Kevin on March 17, 2008 6:11 PM
Hmmmm, "Serbian Death Squads".... with no mention of the KLA terrorists who murdered, browbeat and ordered their own people out of "Kosovo" or else. Not a peep of the 'ethnic cleansing' practiced by the KLA against the native Serbs and the destruction of practically every Christian church and monastery in that Serbian province. This is madness that I simply cannot understand, as to why the Europeans and our Prez would set up the conditions for establishing a Greater Albania, as a Mafia-Muslim terrorist run 'nation'. We have no business being in Kosovo, none. If indeed it is a problem, it is a European problem, not one of the United States. Kosovo is the Serbian homeland and by setting the precedent for this artificial nation, wait a few years and see if parts of our own SW don't make the same specious claims that the Albanians made to get their own 'nation'. La Raza should be quite happy... This folly will come back to haunt Europe and eventually, the United States.
 
By kat-missouri on March 17, 2008 11:01 PM
Dear Kevin, Is that all you're going to say? A brief note about what I did or did not include as to the history of Kosovo and the Serbian conflict? Whatever your beef with that, the post was to note the largest deployment of MO NG since WWII and ask for support during their service, particularly in a time of great unrest. We are sending our forces into a serious situation. They deserve our support. Full stop. I do not subscribe to the theory that they only get our support when it is a war or deployment that we like. I hope that you do not subscribe to that theory either and that you will see your way clear to the original intent of the message and send a letter of support to our troops.
 
By Kevin on March 17, 2008 11:25 PM
How little you know. I am a former officer in the 35th ID. I set up the '2' shop for that Divisions DISCOM and one of the members now wasting his life away in that mudhole is a friend of mine and a former subordinate in that same shop. I brought him with me when I transfered units. He's a good man and he deserves better. He, his new wife and their fledgling business has suffered because of this nonsensical deployment. I support the troops, but I don't have to support the mission. I CAN make the distinction between the two. Clinton and Bush have BOTH screwed the pooch on this one. And as I've stated, I can make the distinction between the two. Supporting our Missouri National Guardsmen on this issue would be to bring them home ASAP and let the Europeans solve their own petty squabbles. We don't have a dog in that hunt. End of story. I don't need headlines or accolades to highlight my support of my friends and fellow military personnel. I want my Missouri National Guardsmen HOME, NOW! I will make NO apologies to anyone on that accord.
 
By kat-missouri on March 18, 2008 9:06 AM
It is only a letter, Kevin, not a political statement.