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Tomorrow is Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada. The following article is totally correct in that many do not give credit where credit is due to our Armed Forces. This Veterans Day remember our Troops and Veterans with an extra prayer for their safety and please, if you know or see one take the extra effort to give them thanks for all they have done. They definitely don't here it enough and in many cases they hear just the opposite.

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War hero congressman says 'debt of gratitude' owed to veterans

A highly decorated Air Force fighter pilot who flew combat missions in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars says America doesn't give veterans enough credit for protecting the country.



Sunday marks Veterans Day, a time set aside to honor the service and sacrifice of American military veterans. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-Texas) is one of those heroes. Johnson was a POW for seven years in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he was held in solitary confinement for 42 months and repeatedly tortured. He says veterans "stand for honesty, integrity, hard work, personal responsibility, perseverance and a love for freedom."

"We just owe them a deep sense of gratitude -- and you know, I think we have to remember freedom isn't free," he says. "I remember one of our guys, when we were getting out of Vietnam prisons over there, left an inscription on a wall which said: 'Freedom has a taste to those who fight and almost die that the protected will never know.'"

Johnson contends the federal government is "doing better every day" in its effort to take care of servicemen and women. According to the Purple Heart recipient, the Veterans Administration is "pushing the envelope and trying to make veterans feel like they're part of America."

The Texas Republican is also encouraging veterans of all wars to participate in the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. The project captures first-person accounts of wartime experiences that "helped make America great," says Johnson. He says that as the WWII generation continues to age, many stories could be lost if those who experienced them are not encouraged to share them.

Johnson says that the project is "one of the best programs" because it will protect American history. The Veterans History Project is part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

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Psa 31:24  Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

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Military telegram arrives, marriage forever changed
Wed only 3 weeks before husband drafted, wife has provided care for nearly 40 years

The telegram arrived on Nov. 15, 1969: "Private First Class Johnny O Brooks was slightly wounded in action," it began.

Flora Brooks, 20 and recently married, read on, not knowing then how much her life was about to change.

"Since he is not, repeat not seriously injured, no further reports will be furnished," the telegram concluded.

The couple would grow old together, but not in the way either had envisioned.

There would be no children, no exotic vacations, not even the simple fishing jaunts they had enjoyed before Johnny Brooks was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam.

He returned home without a leg and would soon lose the other, along with his ability to speak and the use of his arms.

Nearly 40 years later, Flora Brooks continues to serve as nursemaid and constant companion to a husband who is confined to a bed, unable to talk or move on his own.

Yet she never imagined any other way: "I'm so thankful that we were married," she said.

Now 58, Flora Brooks is a pillar of compassion and dedication, a model for those now coping with spouses returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with missing limbs or damaged minds. Nearly 30,000 U.S. troops have been injured so far in Iraq alone; about 600 have lost at least one limb.

Her advice to those now facing a much different marriage than they had dreamed of is simple: Just get through each day, because thinking about a whole lifetime is too daunting.

"My heart goes out to them because they're just starting on this journey," she said. "If they don't have a family, I can't imagine having to go through it yourself."

Despite her reliance on family and close friends, Flora Brooks has cared for her husband mostly by herself. She leaves their home in Stockton, a working class port city about 45 miles south of the state capital, only for brief outings and appointments.

She sleeps in a small bed in the living room, next to her husband's medical bed.

Her days are spent almost entirely in the care of her husband: She fills syringes with the liquid food she injects into her husband's stomach tube every two hours, suctions his mouth when he coughs, dispenses a small pharmacy of medications, drains the catheters.

She says she shares a rich, full life with her husband, who responds to her and other family members mostly through eye contact.

She reads Biblical scriptures to him, buys DVDs for them to watch together and chatters to him while she completes the intricate stitchwork on the patriotic quilts that adorn the walls of their home.

Most incorporate photographs and other military memorabilia. One has a copy of the telegram she received that day back in 1969.

It was a mortar attack that tore through her husband's body, wounding him so severely that he lost most of his blood.

While being prepared for surgery to graft skin onto his back, which had been shredded by shrapnel, he went into cardiac arrest and suffered serious brain damage. He was not expected to survive.

Flora Brooks knows that many people in her position would have prayed for an easy death. She prayed for her high school sweetheart to live, regardless of what that life might hold.

"They didn't even have a chance to have a married life," said Johnny Brooks' mother, Ruth.

The couple had been married just three weeks before the draft notice arrived.

Their story resonates with today's young military couples, as U.S. troops return with serious injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan. Many are in their early 20s and suffer from multiple amputations or other debilitating injuries.

Better armor and field medicine have kept them alive at far higher rates than in previous wars, but their survival also will tax the nation's medical systems and many families' ability to cope in the coming years.

While many of today's severely wounded veterans are married, others are forced to rely on their parents, who never imagined caring for their children in this way.

That has created financial and emotional burdens in families throughout the country, said Jim Weiskotf, a spokesman for Fisher House Foundation, which runs 38 homes where family members of wounded veterans can stay while they get medical treatment.

"There's no doubt that that takes a significant toll. In an instant, your life is just changed and can never be changed back, when you get the phone call that your son or daughter's been severely wounded," he said.

Four decades later, Ruth Brooks is still coping.

She spends a lot of time visiting and helping her son and daughter-in-law. But even she depends on Flora.

"I still am not over it," she said. "She's so strong, and I'm not."

That resiliency has amazed Flora Brooks' family and friends, especially now that she also is caring for her mother, who suffers from dementia. It would be easy to get down, she said, but she chooses not to dwell on her own twists of fate.

"I'm way thankful," she said. "I'm the one that's still saying, 'Please God, please God, don't take him yet.'"

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Today we remember our Canadian troops who fought with courage and honour. Had these brave soldiers not fought, Canada would not be the great country it is.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Hi Pastor & Everyone,
What a Wonderful Lady, Mrs.Brooks....
I heard your son just grad. B.C? OORAH!!!
ThankYou, too ALL you Vets. out their!
It had to be close to the USMC Birthday, Cool...
One of my relatives worked at TUN"S Tavern, where the USMC started... No Kidding
Maybe that's why i joined the Marines?
Almost 30 years. ago, Man that makes me feel old... ;D


AMEN!!!

Yes he just graduated from boot. It's been 38 years since I first joined and about 16 years since I got out from my last stint. The years do seem to have passed quickly.

About face! Google finally honors Veterans Day
Online giant designs special logo after 8 years of ignoring U.S. holiday
Posted: November 11, 2007
10:35 a.m. Eastern

By Joe Kovacs
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com


It took nearly a decade, but Internet giant Google is finally honoring Veterans Day with a special holiday design for its famous logo.

Users who log onto Google's home page today will see three World War I-era helmets capping the letters "o" and "e" in Google's name.

The decoration is a marked departure for the company, which has come under fire from veterans' groups for ignoring American holidays such as Veterans Day and Memorial Day since Google's inception in 1999.

The firm, known for its widely used search engine, regularly modifies its logo to commemorate holidays, historical events and figures.

"Maybe all the pressure is paying off," said WND reader Donna Hunter of Philadelphia. "God bless all our soldiers!"

When the Los Angeles Times asked the California-based firm about the issue, spokeswoman Sunny Gettinger responded, "Google's special logos tend to be lighthearted and often scientific in nature. We do not believe we can convey the appropriate somber tone through this medium to mark holidays like Memorial Day."

The Ledger newspaper of Lakeland, Fla., called that excuse "laughable."

As WND reported last year, Google had no problem honoring the war dead of other countries, creating a special logo with poppies for Remembrance Day in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

And for the ninth year in a row this past spring, Google declined to mark Memorial Day – something the company has done for the Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, Halloween and other observances.

Google's Sputnik commemoration

Just last month Google acknowledged an accomplishment of the communist Soviet Union, which launched the Sputnik space satellite 50 years ago.

With the surprise launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, the Soviet Union leaped ahead in the race for space between the U.S. and the communist empire. Sputnik's success followed the failure of the first two Project Vanguard launch attempts by the U.S.

Google also has given special honors for astronomer Percival Lowell, artist Edvard Munch and Louis Braille, inventor of the writing system for the blind.

Other days commemorated included National Teachers Day, Women's Day, Ray Charles' birthday, World Water Day and St. George's Day.

Besides overlooking Memorial Day and Veterans Day until today, it also has ignored Christmas.

Google has been criticized for its one-sided political contributions and content policies:

    * Rejecting an ad for a book critical of Bill and Hillary Clinton while continuing to accept anti-Bush themes

    * Rejecting ads critical of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., while continuing to run attack ads against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

    * Allowing the communist Chinese government to have the search engine block "objectionable" search terms such as "democracy."

In addition, the company came under fire for an editorial decision giving preferential placement to large, elite media outlets such as CNN and the BBC over independent news sources, such as WND, even if they are more recent, pertinent and exhaustive in their coverage.

As WND reported, 98 percent of all political donations by Google employees went to support Democrats, and as a matter of fact, Al Gore is now a senior adviser to Google.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave the maximum legal limit of donations to Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry and to primary candidate Howard Dean.

Schmidt also contributed the maximum amount to Sen. Clinton.
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Keep with Dogpile, it's more Christian friendly.

For all the vet's here on the forum.

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My own very personal salute. Thank you, son.

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Pastor Roger,

Brother, your son is one fine looking young man. I did notice from one picture that the ceiling was just above his head, so I'm wondering if he has to duck to get through doors.   ;)   I also remember my Navy son joking about the tall guys with almost permanent bumps on their heads from going up and down stairs in close quarters on the Nimitz. The bunks I saw didn't appear to be made for tall guys like your son.

My sincere CONGRATULATIONS to your son. He will always be in my prayers.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Thank you, brother. I think so, too. He looks a lot like me when I was that age.  ;)  ;D

Yes, he is a bit tall. Real tall compared to me. He's 6' 2". I took those pictures while I was sitting so they accent his height even more.

I had problems with bumping my head and my shins on ships. The ceilings were low with pipes hanging below them and the water tight hatches had sills that were about 10 to 12 inches above the deck and about the same from the ceiling. Then the ladders (stairs) were at a  very steep angle. If you went up them too fast you would bust your knees or shins on them also. I couldn't imagine his handling it any better on a ship than I did. There were those on the ships that were that tall or bigger. A number of them would have to visit sickbay after rough seas for ice packs.   :D  Oh, and those bunks. Someone that tall had to sleep with bended knee for sure.  ;D ;D

Hello Brother David,

I wanted to make sure that you know I give thanks for soldiers from Canada, the U.K., Australia, and others countries who have consistently stood up and fought for freedom. We have been side by side in many conflicts. I also want you to know that they are also in my prayers.

Here's a few graphics that should work for many countries. Please feel free to use them for emails or whatever else you might want to.












   

Brothers and Sisters,

Here's a few more graphics to add to your collection or use any way that you wish.