Patriotism at its best
Will you give this to my Daddy?
As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support
'Red Fridays.'
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 camos. As
they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost
everyone) was
abruptly to their feet with 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 course I immediately stopped and began clapping for
these young
unsung heroes 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 kneeled down and said
'hi.'
The little girl then asked him if he would give something
to her daddy
for her.
The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe
22 himself, said
he would try and what did she want 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 was done explaining her
situation, all
of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. 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 and
as the young
soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom.
I was
standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire
event.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate,
people
resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and
looked 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.
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 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
American, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to
recognize
that the vast majority of Americans 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, TV -- 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; certainly 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.
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.
'Red Fridays.'
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 camos. As
they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost
everyone) was
abruptly to their feet with 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 course I immediately stopped and began clapping for
these young
unsung heroes 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 kneeled down and said
'hi.'
The little girl then asked him if he would give something
to her daddy
for her.
The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe
22 himself, said
he would try and what did she want 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 was done explaining her
situation, all
of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. 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 and
as the young
soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom.
I was
standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire
event.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate,
people
resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and
looked 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.
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 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
American, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to
recognize
that the vast majority of Americans 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, TV -- 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; certainly 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.
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.
My Growing Babes...
