The ebb and flow of my Heroes...

Ok... we all know how much I love my Heroes. They are brave, courageous folks that mean the world to me. On top of that, they are some of the most caring, generous and sometimes downright hilarious people I know. I grew up around police officers, so the "charms" of the uniform are familiar. I learned through that, though, that the uniform does not make the man, so the charms of some were quickly not-so-charming. Yet there's something about seeing our Heroes in uniform in person that makes me want to do stupid stuff like salute them. I know, sounds silly, but they just get so squirrely about hugging them. :) LOL. When my "son" Joel comes home to visit he just can't help but cringe when I throw my arms around him. (He just looks so darn cute!!!) He is, however, enough of a gentleman now to not push me away. He was a joy to have around, and I'm so proud of him.

I talk to several Heroes on a regular basis, and I've been introduced to a few new ones in the past couple weeks and all bring me great happiness when I hear from them. I just couldn't help but share some of my stories. I save my emails and snail mails. I don't blog them but I have them tucked away in a special box with my other treasures sent me from my Heroes.

Dante, from whom I've not heard in a couple months. A fellow Buckeye who has a biting sense of humor and a pretty good handle on things for a young guy. Every once in awhile he'll shoot me an email to let me know he's ok. He will never know how much relief I feel from just that one short message. Miss hearin' from ya, hope you're ok.

David, part of a motor pool, who occasionally answers my weekly emails to let me know everyone in his group is ok and they look forward to hearing from me. Great group of guys and that, too, brings me a bit of peace to see that email. Your emails make MY day... who's the Angel?

Gregory, a kind man with reassuring words who helps me without even knowing at times. You're thought of often and prayed for daily.

Becky, a great gal who has lousy taste in football teams... j/k fly girl... always enjoy hearing from ya! She sends me little inspirational messages and I know when I see something from her, it will make me smile. Maybe the Bears will do it NEXT year, hon... ;)

Cpt H, an amazing person with an infectious attitude, with first-person accounts that are fascinating. In the precious little time he gets at a computer, he takes the time to send me a detailed (within reason) letter and share the experiences of he and his men. *A boss knows how; A LEADER shows how* You ARE a Leader Cpt H

Robert, a young fellow who has me in stitches all the time. Yes, I'm sure you ARE the perfect man for me, Hero... too bad I'm old enough to be your... uh... aunt, yea that's it! :) But every day he "talks" to me, just little messages back and forth like chit-chat between two people. Again, another one I look forward to hearing from because he brings a smile to my face. *Muah*

Phillip, a new Hero to my e-pals, kinda quiet, but somehow he's moved into the "I wonder if he's ok" category and sporadically I hear from him. That's ok, the new ones soon become the old favorites. Strong, silent types... my favorites!

KC, another new addition to my epal group... just let me know today that it's down to a month and a half... *psst... the correct phrase is "less than 60 days" - just keep saying that to yourself until the plane touches US Soil, honey* Praying for your safe return to your family... thanks for sharing my space for a short while.

Meeting the new ones helps with the ones who have come home that I don't hear from as much, if at all. I have a select few that I miss talking to terribly. Sometimes the sadness is overwhelming. Our lives ebb and flow, we lose track of old friends, make new ones, have our hearts broken and healed. I know this. It's a painful lesson we learn throughout life. Gone are the days of innocence and being carefree. dammit, I wanna be carefree and hopeful and full of happiness again.

Welcome to my world Heroes. I'm honored to have you as part of mine, even if only for a short while. :) And as always, Thank You for being My Heroes.

Miss Behavin

Another Proud "Almost" Mom Moment # 14,763

Joel called... he made Expert Marksman. Way to go Hero! Lookin' forward to seeing you when you come home... *hugs*

Iraqi Muscle - More than iron that makes them strong...

As always, I'm updating to share the progress of IraqiMuscle - a group of Heroes dedicated to self-improvement during their deployment. Check out the latest at IraqiMuscle.com, get your Muscle Gear, and watch this moving tribute to the folks in the midst.

Thanks Heroes... as always you inspire me and I pray for your safety.

*hugs*

http://www.iraqimuscle.com/PhotoStory2.wmv

Proud Marine "Mom" moment #3

My little Marine man is down in NC doing some training... he called tonight to let us know how it's going. Says he's doing well, loving it and wanted us to know that he appreciates everything we've done and knows if we hadn't taken him in, he'd still be out on the streets. (He was a stray, just staying anywhere, doing the party scene, kinda blowin' off life.) How many 18 year olds do you ever hear say something like that??? He'll be back to visit for a short while in a couple months before heading to the Sandbox... I can't wait to sign him up for some Angel lovin'! I know he'll need it coz he's Infantry. Just wanted to share...

Joel honey, when you read this, just know how very proud I am of you, kiddo. And you're welcome in my home anytime.

AMEN!

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes." The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting."

It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him, knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

The Marine calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid shit and act like an asshole. .............So, He sent me."

And Two are Coming Home...

What a day. Talking with my favorite A-stan Medic while fighting a raging migraine (I am POSITIVE he's the only reason I stopped heaving my insides up) I received word from my Adoption Coordinator through Soldier's Angels that my first "Official" (my Adopted Hero) was scheduled home, and not to send anymore letters or packages. Our mission is complete.

Mission complete??? My Marine is coming home? But who will I write? Who will I send silly little care packages to for holidays and for no reason? Weeellll, you COULD say I could send that stuff to my favorite A-stan Medic (who's an "unofficial" adoptee and has already been getting letters and little packages).

But NNNNOOOOO... he's coming home too at the end of the month. Wahhhh! Wait... I mean YYYAAAAYYY!!!

*sniff* I know it hasn't been easy for any of them. They've seen a lot of stuff I can only read about. Talking and emailing and getting "stuff" ready to send has brought an immense joy to my life and I'm not ready for the mission to be "complete."

Nope, I'm re-upping. Angel Mason reporting for duty. Sign me up for another deployment and hook me up with my next Hero!!! I've already started my next care package! :)

In all seriousness, Allen and Jeff, Congratulations and Welcome Home. Thank you for your brave selflessness and dedication to this great nation. America won't forget you, because I won't let them!!! I'm so very proud of you. You've touched a place in my heart that will always be. Feel free to stay in touch and visit the blog from time to time just to say "hey". Love you guys!

America, we have almost 6,000 Angels nationwide. Let's get the word out. Here's a thought.. 1:1 Angel:Hero ratio.

Adopt a Hero... visit www.soldiersangels.org today. Now! That's an order!

Awesome Heroes becoming even MORE Awesome!!!

Just got done visiting my favorite buff Heroes' site at IraqiMuscle.com to check out their progress... lookin' good folks!!!

And they've added their first female recruit to the list... way to go!!! With a group like them over there supporting and guiding, how can she go wrong? :)

They're still working on those T-shirts and hats (along with the 6 packs movin' to the 8's) and also still donating to Soldiers' Angels. (Quite an awesome organization in itself! Of course, I'm biased, being a Team Leader for the Letter Writing Team and having many Heroes I support myself!!!)

What a great combination... Heroes and Angels... join the fun, support the morale and well-being of some great people who just happen to have your back for all the freedoms you enjoy. All without asking, and without hesitation. *sniff* pardon me, proud American/Mom/Angel/Hero moment.

SSG Simon, Sgt Skoczen... you guys are the bomb! You've inspired me. I've started walking about 1.5 miles a day and doing 20 pushups. Ok, girlie pushups, but the last time I remember doing anything that resembles that was when I tripped, fell and had to get my sorry butt up off the ground! :) Perfection is not achieved overnight and I can attest to that!!! I'm rootin' for Colleen!

C'mon folks, check out the site, sign the guestbook and show our Heroes you support them in both their professional AND personal endeavors.

Love you guys... Be Safe!

Corporal Jason Dunham to be posthumously awarded MOH 1/11/07 (Thursday)

This Thursday, Cpl Jason Durham will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His brave, selfless action of covering a grenade, thus saving the lives of fellow Marines is to be commended.

Check out the Marine Corps Times for the full story...

IraqiMuscle.com - they're making better progress than I am!

In doing my Angeling tonight, I received word from my Leader about a couple Buckeye Boys (Woo Hoo!!!) who are on a road to self-improvement while deployed.

They have also donated to Soldiers' Angels by the making of hats and shirts for purchase. Now isn't that the coolest thing to take a year where you're not in the best circumstances and turn it into a positive reinforcement for your life???

Check out their site... sign the GuestBook... contact them about hats and shirts... it's all for a good cause!!! I can't wait to get mine!!! Will update you as I find out more... Great job Heroes!!! We can see a difference already... looking very buff! ;)

Very proud of all of you!!! Stay Strong -- Be Safe!!!
Miss B

Hell Yea!!! Marine politely tells Kerry to Kiss His Ass...

I'm having a proud Hero moment here. How wonderful we have these brave men and women to stand up for us so we (being the idiots who do it) can say what we want under the First Amendment... I'm thinking it's time for Kerry to exercise the Fifth Amendment. As I told my favorite Medic Hero, we have both. One to exercise the right to say what we want and one to exercise the right to SHUT THE HELL UP.
******************************************************************************************* This is a letter written by a marine in response to Kerry's insult on them. Enjoy and repost if you feel the notion.

Yesterday John Kerry said, "You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well, and if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

So I wrote him a letter:

I am a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. I am currently on my second tour in Iraq, a tour in which I volunteered for. I speak Arabic and Spanish and I plan to tackle Persian Farsi soon. I have a Bachelors and an Associates Degree and between deployments I am pursuing an M.B.A. In college. I was a member of several academic honor societies, including the Golden Key Honor Society. I am not unique among the enlisted troops. Many of my enlisted colleagues include lawyers, teachers, mechanics, engineers, musicians and artists just to name a few. You say that your comments were directed towards the President and not us. If we were stupid Senator Kerry, we might have believed you.

I am not a victim of President Bush. I proudly serve him because he is my Commander and Chief. If it was you who was President, I would serve you just as faithfully. I serve America, Senator Kerry, and I am also providing a service to the good people of Iraq. I have not terrorized them in the middle of the night, raped them or murdered them as you have accused me of before. I am doing my part to help them rebuild. My role is a simple one, but important. You see Senator Kerry, like it or not, we came here and removed a tyrant (who terrorized Iraqis in the middle of the night, and raped them and murdered them). And we have a responsibility to see to it that another one doesn't take his place. The people of Iraq are recovering from an abusive relationship with a terrible government and it's going to take some time to help them recover from that. We can't treat this conflict like a microwave dinner and throw a temper tantrum because we feel like it's taking too long.

Senator Kerry, you don't have to agree with this war. You don't have to say nice things about those of us who choose to make sacrifices for the rights of every American rather than sit back and simply feel entitled to it. But please Senator Kerry, if you're going to call me a stupid murdering rapist, stick by what you say. Don't tell me that I misunderstood or that you would never insult a veteran because you're one too. Having been there and done that does not give you a free pass to insult me.

My suggestion for you, Senator Kerry, is to remember that your speeches are recorded, and broadcast to us simpletons over here. You may want to write down what you want to say before you say it, maybe have somebody look at it before you say it and tell you what others might hear. Remember that we can't read your mind. If there are any misinterpretations in what you say, it's because you didn't communicate clearly.

Good luck to you Senator Kerry. If nothing else it's always entertaining to watch you try and climb out of the holes that you constantly dig for yourself.

Sincerely,

Somebody who is watching his daughter grow up in photographs so that you can have the right to say whatever you want about him.