If we maintain our faith in God, love of freedom, and superior global air power, the future [of the US] looks good.

— General Curtis Lemay

Hero

I had the incredible privilege of conducting the service for one of our nation's heroes from WWII, Lt Gen Gordon Graham. By the end of WWII he was a triple ace. But he didn't stop there. He continued to serve our nation in a long career including Vietnam. His list of accomplishments and service is profound. You just have to read it for yourself. You can read about his amazing service here.

Truly the field of Arlington are fields of honor because of the service and sacrifice of those who rest there.

Freedom is NOT FREE!

On this Independence Day -- we remember Freedom is not free.

Mikey Monsoor sacrificed himself on 29 September 2006 that his brothers in arms could remain alive - free. He could have saved himself. He saved hs comrads, throwing himself on a live grenade.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor. He is the fourth in the War on Terror to receive the award.

View his memorial service here.

   
 From this day
 to the ending of the world,
    But we in it shall be remembered-
    We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
    For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
    Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
    This day shall gentle his condition;

And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,

    And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
    That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

William Shakespeare
King Henry V

The citation for the award of the Medal of Honor to Master at Arms 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor:

The President of the United States, in the name of the Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor, posthumously, to Master At Arms Second Class, Sea, Air and Land, Michael A. Monsoor, United States Navy. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Automatic Weapons Gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 29 September 2006.

As a member of a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army sniper overwatch element, tasked with providing early warning and stand-off protection from a rooftop in an insurgent-held sector of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer Monsoor distinguished himself by his exceptional bravery in the face of grave danger. In the early morning, insurgents prepared to execute a coordinated attack by reconnoitering the area around the element's position. Element snipers thwarted the enemy's initial attempt by eliminating two insurgents. The enemy continued to assault the element, engaging them with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. As enemy activity increased, Petty Officer Monsoor took position with his machine gun between two teammates on an outcropping of the roof. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor's chest and landed in front of him. Although only he could have escaped the blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead to protect his teammates. Instantly and without regard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of his two teammates. By his undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Long night of music

I took my family and an airman from the office to a concert taping of the Air Force band at the Strathmore with some notable celebrity performers that will be aired on Veterans Day later this year. My favorite artist was a new sensation of the ukulele Jake Shimabukuro (yes, I said ukulele - you gotta hear it to believe it). He is incredible. He brought the house down with humor as well during the taping teasing himself with some Don Ho type musical performance on the instrument while they were working with the sound system. Clint Black was also there. He sang "The Shoes You Are Wearing". Then Patti Labelle sang "I Have a New Attitude". She was a riot when she tried to convince the sound manager that a second take wasn't necessary. She also sang a slower song about being there for others. Very moving.

I think what meant the most to me where two aspects of the program. The night was long as there were performances and retakes to get the segments right for TV publication. Between the sets while they reset the stage and so forth, the performers gave some personal words of appreciation to what our men and women in uniform do and while we were honored to have them do this for us, they expressed how honored they were to be included. The second element were tributes read by Cliff Robertson to one veteran of each service. We have a Navaho code talker there, a man who spent 8.5 years as a POW in Vietnam from the Navy, a young airman who lost a limb in the desert who has not let his injury stop him, a lady who served as a nurse in World War II with the Army, and an older lady who served in port security in Operation Desert Storm in the Coast Guard. She was sitting right across from me, and after the concert production I was honored to have the opportunity to speak with her and thank her for her service.

Mountain Trek

While visiting with my mom last week in East TN, I took the opportunity to visit some of the mountains in the area. Before the heat wave rolled in, I hiked an access trail that connects up with the Appalachian Trail after hiking the chimneys in the Smokies. It was hot though, and the haze, which unfortunately these days is more the product of pollution than the natural product of the Smokey Mountains, was quite evident.

The trail itself starts out fairly tame and crosses a vigorous mountain stream three times before turning up hill toward the crest of the mountains. It turns into quite a climb once you cross the third bridge.


I took time to photograph some of the water falls at the crossings, something a number of folks were doing. The day was cloudy, an excellent day to take pictures of water falls.






























Near the crest of the mountain, the first Rhododendron blooms began to show themselves. Another couple of weeks should show them in full swing. On the mountain crest, the sheer rock face was daunting but the aged granite has numerous handholds for climbing. If you want to truly get a view of the surrounding mountains one has to climb the rock face. There is a trail that goes up the side, but it is currently closed to allow recuperation from over use. Still yet I and some other visitors discovered several folks on the trail. One of the park's rangers confronted them and we heard them explain they were from France and said they could not read the sign that was in in English. They spoke fairly good English though. Go figure.


After reaching the summit of the Chimney's I turned my sight to hike up the AT, another three miles straight up the mountain. I was about 3/4 of the way when I saw a strange object in the middle of the path in front of me -- a big pile of pooh. The only thing in that area that would be big enough to leave such a mark is four legged, black, furry, and I could conceivable be considered part of its food chain on a bad day. I went on though, figuring it would have moved on. The trail became quite rough and turned into a creek bed that one had to follow for 1/2 a mile or so. As I turned a bend in the creek, guess who was getting a drink? And guess who saw me looking at her. Momma bear was there with her couple of cubs. I didn't take time to get out my camera as I decided I had come close enough to the AT. Bear in front of me. Bear scat behind me. And me -- right in the middle of this bear's ranging terroritory. Hmmm. Downhill was looking better all of a sudden. So I didn't make the AT. I find as I get older I err more on the side of caution.















I was glad to see the Evergreen trees making a come back. 20 years ago, a friend of mine and I were exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway to discover on top of Mt. McKinley a veritable skeleton forest of dead evergreens killed by a combined assault of pollution and a particular aphid. Today, one can still see the remains of the devastation, but new life is showing in the evergreen population.














There is a story about these mountains that explain why Tennessee hill folk didn't used to wear shoes. When the first settlers came over the mountains from North Carolina into the frontier of Tennessee, they were near the tops of the mountains when the clouds parted and the voice of God (who went as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night before the children of Israel) thundered out -- "Take off your shoes. You are on holy ground."

Look What I Missed

I was out of town this week visiting with my mother who has been ill for some time. This link is to some video of one of the Air Force firing party from the USAF Honor Guard standing tight for an honors ceremony at one of our funerals, when a huge thunder storm rolled through. You can see the video here.

Remember Part 3

My family and I visited section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day. This is where most of the OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) casualties are buried. I did a funeral here for an Air Force EOD airman in April as well as one last fall for an OSI airman. This place is very special ground for me as I have trod some of the same sand as these now lost to us. For some reason these words come to mind as a tribute as we remember:


Verse 4 -- National Anthem

O thus be it ever,

When free men shall stand

Between their loved homes

And the war's desolation;

Blest with vict'ry and peace,

May the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made

And preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must,

When our cause it is just,

And this be our motto,

"In God is our trust!"

And the star-spangled banner

In triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free

And the home of the brave.

Remember Part 2

Here are some stories to ponder and reflect upon.

A day at Arlington to Remember Heroes

Laid to Rest

Our Nation's Most Hallowed Ground

It Began as a Springtime Holiday.

If You Visit Arlington

Or take a VIRTUAL TOUR OF ARLINGTON CEMETERY

"They don't have any of these Hamlet-like moments of indecision
about whether America is worth defending or a good country,"

"We need somebody in our culture that's ready to rock and roll, do or die, otherwise we're doomed."

--Peter Collier, author of "Medal of Honor" .
a book of profiled of the 138 Medal of Honor recipients.

Remember

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. Today, I assisted with the placement of flags in an area of Arlington National Cemetery known as Chaplain's hill. It was a moving experience to be able to say that I had the privilege to render this honor.



Memorial Day was proclaimed May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, then the Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. His general Order #11 included these words:

"...If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan..."

Yesterday, I had the privilege of providing the invocation for the Memorial Day Remembrance for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It was a beautiful day, with ceremony outside in full view of all around. I shared these words with those who gathered to honor those who have served:

Almighty God
as we gather together today in this continuing time of struggle and conflict
to remember all who served and sacrificed that our nation might always be free, grant that this time will be a time of remembrance and reflection

as we remember, grant us wisdom

as we remember, grant us hope

as we remember, grant us resolve

as we remember those who served with honor,

grant that we may be inspired to such service

as we remember those who go forth at our nation’s call,

may we recall their families who remain behind

as we remember the valor and the glory,

may we remember the wounded and the healing.

as we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice,

grant that we never forget their loved ones who grieve.

today as we remember the necessary cost for freedom, we are bold to pray:
grant us victory, may freedom endure,
and may our children and our children’s children know peace.

Running with the Old Dogs

Now I have to admit, this old dog enjoys being able to keep up with the younger dogs in the pack, but this guy is Hooah!

Most of those young dogs I've been running with are army strong. We're trying to get a weekly run from our office out to the Washington Memorial and back, about 4.5 miles. Walk in the park as they say. (Though is it one big park :)

This guy on the other hand: Not so Hooah.

Mountain therapy

While home in the East Tennessee hills, I took time for one of my favorite diversions: running various trails through the East Tennessee hills. The Greenbelt in Kingsport has always been a favorite location, due to it being close to mom's but also just for its serenity, some of which is captured here. And the Greenbelt has been part of my life for over 20 years since it first opened and is home to many treasured memories.

Spring was in full bloom, this past weekend. There were a multitude of wild flowers all over the path. After running the path, I took time to grab my camera and walk the first portion. Sitting on a bench, up in the hills, and very much alone with the birds, mountain air, and the natural sounds of the surround, I thought to myself, now this is therapy. Tennessee is a place that refreshes the soul somehow.

The creek that flows along the path is named Reedy Creek. While my father had a rather creative story for how the creek was started that had to do with a certain attribute of my grandfather, the truth is my branch of the Reedy family didn't move into the area until the middle 20th century. The name was given to the creek by a early Reedy settler in the area going all the way back to colonial days when Kingsport was actually a small trading port on the Holston River.

If you are reading this....

This weekend I made my way back up the I-81 corridor in the Shenadoah valley to visit my mother who is making a strong fight with cancer. Mom is one extraordinary woman. She grew up in a very small town in Virginia, not too far from the Shenandoah. I was refreshed by the beauty of spring in the valley as wild redbuds and dogwoods were blooming out everywhere. It seemed right to dial in the local country stations. Country music seems to me to off a slower more deliberate take on real and meaningful life issues.

I must confess, after a few days in the beauty of the Appalachian mountains that I was feeling homesick for my family and the places where I grew up. But listening to those same Country music stations on the way home, I was reminded just how real life is and how important is the service to my fellow airmen and soldiers, especially in this time of war and sacrifice. I heard for the first time, a song by Tim McGraw entitled: "If you are reading this..."

After you read this post, if you haven't heard the song, I'd encourage you to dial into youtube (I'll give you the link) and take a listen.

But if you are reading this:
...have you hugged your kids today or told them how much you love them?
...how long has it been since you slowed down and told you wife/husband how much he or she means to you?
...when was the last time you took a moment just to reflect on the gift of life, the people you share life with, and the wonder of the world around you?
...when was the last time you took a walk, enjoyed the singing of birds, read a good book?
...have you prayed for a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine today and thanked God for the service of those who stand between those who would harm us and our valleys and towns?
...finally, have you prayed for the spouses, children, and parents of those who could have written the words of the song?

Now... if you are finished reading this, the song is here.

Driving to work this morning

Updated: a way cool excerpt from the movie "Luther" where Luther gives his final answer at the Diet of Worms.

I had to yoohoo out loud this morning as I drove to work listening to NPR. First I was surprised that NPR knew about a certain event in history and was more impressed they would comment on it. But in the middle of the story about the Pope's visit to the DC area was a mention that 487 years ago today the monk Martin Luther would be on trial in a German city named Worms (pronounced Verms) for heresy. On the 16th of April of 1521 Luther entered Worms to be tried for his teachings that would lay the stage for the split between what is now known as the Protestant church and the Roman Catholic church. Tomorrow, the 18th of April, some 487 years ago, after being ordered to recant upon pain of death, Luther would refuse to recant his writings critical of the pope and church leadership including the selling of indulgences (a sort of get out of jail free if you pay money card). and refusing to submit to papal authority, he would say, "Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason--I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other--my conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe." His address concluded with these words: "Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen." ("Here, I stand. I can do nothing else. God help me. Amen.")

So were laid the seeds of a movement toward religious freedom where a person's right to have Scripture placed in his or her own hand to examine for oneself, and to believe according to their conscience was to gain momentum. In many ways, the seeds of religious freedom that form such a crucial part of American culture and even the military chaplaincy, were laid during these three days when Luther, upon pain of death, was willing to die to remain true to conscience and religiously free. There he stood. One could argue that religious freedom was born or at least re-awakened at Worms.