Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Support the Troops: End the Iraq War


The following e-mail was forwarded to me today. C&B does not support the War in Iraq; the troops however are a different issue. It has been suggested that every Friday be called Red Friday showing harmony & patriotism amongst all Americans in support of our fine troops. Sounds like a wonderful idea.

"Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their cami's. As they began heading to their gate everyone (well,almost everyone) was abruptly on their feet, their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them being applauded and cheered for it hit me, I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.

Of cou! rse I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung he roes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal. Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women a young girl not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He knelt down and said "Hi" to the little girl. Then she asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier who didn't look any older than maybe 22 said he would try, and what did she want him to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl who said her daughter's name was Courtney told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mom finished explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief moment. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her: "I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you." He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying, "Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon."

The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably. As the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away as this entire event unfolded. As the soldiers began to leave and head towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looking around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
&n! bsp;
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.

Red Friday Just keeping you "in the loop" so you'll know what's going on in case this takes off.

RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who 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 no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, T V-let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.

If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, ce! rtainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is...We need your support and your prayers.

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE, THEN SEND THIS ON. IF YOU COULD CARE LESS,THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON --- IT IS YOUR CHOICE. WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE.

THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED! --- MAY GOD HELP AMERICA TO BECOME ONE NATION, UNDER GOD.

HAVE A GREAT DAY! "

2 comments:

Joseph R. Gruber said...

Gotta love the crack journalism here. Took me all of 2 seconds to realize this is a chain letter and about another 5 seconds to pull it up on Snopes.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/redfriday.asp

Sorry to tell you but this has been out since '05 -- don't think it's going to take off. ;)

Oh and while the original email is still undetermined if it's true I'm willing to bet it's not.

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/daughter.asp

Try to do some research next time...

Anthony T. Brooks said...

Yes I do believe this is a chain letter and is probably not true.

The point is only to support the troops and promote Red Friday. This idea is old, the War however is still ever present.