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Sep
30
Red Fridays
Filed Under American Patriotism, Events, Today's War | Comments Off on Red Fridays
RED FRIDAYS —– You will begin seeing a great many people wearing Red every Friday.
The reason?
Americans who actively support our troops used to be called the ‘silent majority’. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.
We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get little media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.
Many Americans, like you, me and our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Americans support our troops.
Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts on Friday – and continues each and every Friday until the troops come home from war.
Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar should consider wearing something red.
A bunch of us are doing this.
Please join us.
Aug
25
BLANKETS OF HOPE
Filed Under American Patriotism, Quilts of Valor | 1 Comment
“QUILTS OF VALOR PROJECT”
During the Purple Heart National Convention we passed a table of women busily sewing and constructing several incredibly beautiful red, white, and blue patriotic quilts. Turns out, these ladies have made and sent to military hospitals throughout the United States and overseas over 415 quilts. The national Quilts of Valor Organization has provided over 17,000 quilts. Frankly, I was stunned by this number given the time, money, and effort that goes into making a hand sewn quilt. Wow!
For that reason, I thought our readers might find it interesting to know some of the facts regarding such a worthy organization. (PS – they greatly need and accept donations to help defray the personal cost and postage for each quilt and quilter). The following information is taken from a brochure given to me by Donna Roche, the Arkansas QOV Coordinator (e-mail diva@mc2k.com)
The Quilts of Valor is our “Purple Heart Award” for service, sacrifice and valor of combat wounded soldiers. It is our way of saying “Thank You for your service, you have not been forgotten.” Numerous people are involved in making the quilts, from contributing quilt blocks, finishing the tops, and then quilting them. Each quilt receives a “Quilt of Valor” label thanking the injured warrior for their dedication and sacrifice. The label contains the name of the maker and the quilter. Sometimes the soldier will send a letter of thanks like the one below:
“My QOV not only keeps me warm when I am cold, it keeps my heart warm too. I’m twenty-four, a husband and father. This may seem childish, but when I get scared with memories of war, I curl up in the quilts and everything goes away. It makes me and the hundreds of wounded I’ve seen feel better knowing there are people in the States that care about us and what we do.”
The Cost of each quilt:
Quilt top $55
Batting $15
Quilt Backing $40
Binding & Notions $10
Pillowcase $ 5
Shipping w/Insurance $10
Total for making a QOV $135
The following poem is dedicated to these amazing women and their loving selfless efforts.
BLANKET OF HOPE
Blanket of Hope
Covers my wounds,
Keeping me safe
In this far from home room.
Blanket of Hope
Surrounding my heart,
Keeping me sane
When I’m falling apart.
Blanket of Hope
Sewn by love’s hands,
With patience and kindness
Compassion commands.
Blanket of Hope
As tears fill my eyes
Brings me closer to home
When morning arrives.
Blanket of Hope
With deep gratitude
My words can’t express
A way to thank you.
Janet J. Seahorn, Ph.D
August, 2009
In honor of the Quilts of Valor Organization
Donations are greatly needed and accepted to help continue this amazing, healing mission.
or Donna Roche, diva@mc2k.com
Aug
18
THE WISDOM OF WARRIORS PAST
Filed Under American Patriotism, Purple Heart | 1 Comment
by Tony Seahorn
Even in the most devastating and pain-filled moments, we have an opportunity to learn something about ourselves, our world, and the human spirit.
Attending the Purple Heart National Convention in Rogers, Arkansas provided an enormous volume of proof supporting this statement. The group was a moving, living sea of purple where great amounts of blood was given in service to our country. Veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and a few from the current war in Iraq and Afghanistan attended.
It is the Vietnam veteran, however, who have provided evidence of how to do things differently when welcoming a warrior home from combat. These vets had no “welcome home”. Their experience of returning from combat was often met with verbal and sometimes physical abuse. Crowds of protesters were waiting to hurl insults and thoughtlessly displayed signs/banners with obscene language and incredibly cruel remarks and pictures.
What Vietnam vets taught Americans through their touching stories were how badly they were injured – not just by the enemy in a foreign land, but by their own country men. The wound to the soldier was deeper, more personal. It bled into the heart and soul of the veteran and couldn’t heal. Healing requires exposure to the light, the outside air. The Vietnam vets were forced to suppress not only their sacrifice, but their woundedness.
With our present battles in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans have rallied for a new mission, a promise that never again would our military personnel return home unwelcome. Today there are a multitude of individuals and organizations who support, care and offer hope to serving military members as well as their families. At the Purple Heart Convention we met a few. The “Soldier’s Angels” were there to ensure every military person serving in a combat zone receives care packages, cards, and letters from their fellow Americans. “Quilting for Valor” is another group who painstakingly create beautiful hand-crafted quilts to send to hospitals both in-country and overseas. These quilts cover and comfort the wounded warrior during his/her hospitalization.
And there were others with their own caring mission.
Vietnam veterans taught Americans how words can wound deeper than guns. How lack of support impairs the ability to move forward. And most of all, how to forgive – their country’s leaders, their country men/women, and sometimes even their own families – because they understand that forgiveness heals.
The significant lesson these past warriors, in their aging wisdom learned, then modeled, was the power of absolution, which granted freedom from their emotional woundedness. Then, through such forgiveness, they have and continue to work tirelessly with the American people and the military to meet the needs of the new combat wounded.
America’s new Purple Hearts hopefully feel only the love, support, and generosity of an America who will never again allow our sons and daughters to return home from combat unwelcome.
Jun
4
Remembrance
Filed Under American Patriotism | Comments Off on Remembrance
As this Memorial Day becomes a memory, I would like to share with you a profound graphic that uses Google Earth to honor the more than 5,700 American and Coalition servicemen and women that have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I recognize that this map is just a slice of the story associated with this war. The Iraqi and Afghan people have incurred substantial civilian losses; there are also U.S. and Coalition civilians, contractors, and reporters who have died as well. This visual focuses on the U.S. and Coalition military casualties, recognizing that the losses extend beyond what is depicted on the map.
Please take a look at this graphic, and reflect on the stories of heroism and sacrifice made across this nation and across the world. Although this map only shows the hometowns of the warriors who died, it’s important to remember that each of these servicemen and women have a rich story in between.
As we’re all reminded:
There’ll be two dates on your tombstone and all your friends will read them. But all that is going to matter is that little dash between them. Life is short at best and these valiant warriors have paid the supreme price.
May
29
Where are you?
Filed Under American Patriotism | Comments Off on Where are you?
It was early in the evening, a time when most of us were looking forward to some rest and dinner with our families. A time when we finally had a few minutes for conversation and catching up on each other’s day. In an American town, the police were responding to a domestic disturbance where they arrested a young man who was later charged with drug possession. The drug was an anti-anxiety medicine. Unfortunately, the prescription was not in this person’s name. Opps! This became a Class C felony for a young veteran whose picture of his Iraq experience appeared on Time magazine only weeks before.
For him, like many vets, the combat zone was never far from his mind and heart. Upon returning home, problems continued to plaque the young man. He had difficulty keeping a job, couldn’t seem to stay away from drugs and alcohol, ended up in jail on more than one occasion, and become divorced within two years. Living became too torturous to bear until finally his mother received the news that no mother ever wants to receive.
She had to bury her son too young, too soon.
Stories like this are more numerous than many Americans recognize or acknowledge. An article from the McCormick Foundation stated, “Statistics indicate that approximately 300,000 veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression, and about 320,000 may have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) during deployment (Lisa H. Jaycox and Terri Tanielian, Invisible Wounds of War, Rand Corporation, 2008).” The battle for peace of mind becomes even more challenging for many military individuals upon returning from war. Most never talk about their experience. Most rarely let others see how complicated it is to live a “normal” existence. Most never complain.
So think about when a warrior dies alone on a battle field far from home, where are you? When he/she returns home and can’t sleep at night because of the flashbacks and nightmares, where are you? When a mother weeps for a son or daughter she will never again hold in her arms, where are you? When a vet is living homeless on your city’s streets because he can’t seem to hold a job or clear his head of the dreadful memories, where are you?
For most, you are at work, at home, on vacation, living your life in a fairly peace-filled manner, even given our current economic upheaval, you are free. You are safe. And you are whole in mind, body, and spirit. Our veterans gave all of that up for you, for me, for others around the world. Be sure to thank a vet. Be sure to say a prayer for their healing. Oh, and extend a Thank You to the family, because everyday they are giving up their own sense of peace and well-being.