Auld Lang Syne

To friends and loved ones who can't be with us; and to those who are no longer with us.

You are always in our hearts.

Auld Lang Syne (to days gone by)... farewell 2012.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy 2013.

Person of The Year 2003

On December 29, 2003, three 1st Armored Division Soldiers appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. They represented "The American Soldier" - all men and women in uniform - who were chosen as Time's 2003 Person of the Year.

For uncommon skills and service, for the choices each one of them has made and the ones still ahead, for the challenge of defending not only our freedoms but those barely stirring half a world away, the American soldier is TIME's Person of the Year.
...

It is worth remembering that our pilots and sailors and soldiers are, for starters, all volunteers, in contrast to most nations, which conscript those who serve in their armed forces. Ours are serving in 146 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The 1.4 million men and women on active duty make up the most diverse military in our history, and yet it is not exactly a mirror of the country it defends. It is better educated than the general population and overweighted with working-class kids and minorities. About 40% of the troops are Southern, 60% are white, 22% are black, and a disproportionate number come from empty states like Montana and Wyoming. When they arrive at the recruiter's door, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told TIME, "they have purple hair and an earring, and they've never walked with another person in step in their life. And suddenly they get this training, in a matter of weeks, and they become part of a unit, a team. They're all sizes and shapes, and they're different ages, and they're different races, and you cannot help when you work with them but come away feeling that that is really a special thing that this country has."

The article is worth reading again, and can be found here.

2012 Year In Photos

FIREFIGHT - U.S. Army Spc. Robert Zarlenga, front, fires his M4 carbine at insurgent forces near Joint Security Station Hasan in southern Afghanistan's Ghazni province, June 15, 2012. Zarlenga is assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's Company D, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod.

NIGHT PATROL - U.S. Marines exit a compound in Agha Ahmad in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Aug. 27, 2012. The Marines are assigned to Scout Sniper Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ed Galo.
Just two of the great collection of 2012's Year in Photos from the Department of Defense.

A-10s provide air support to Santa, ground troops

An A-10 “Thunderbolt” takes off at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, for a mission on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. The A-10, or more affectionately known as the “Warthog”, has served in the U.S. Air Force’s arsenal for over 40 years and continues to provide effective close air support to ground troops. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Henry Chan, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion Public Affairs)

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas Tree at Landstuhl Hospital Fisher House. Photo: Soldiers' Angels.


And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.

For unto you
is born this day in the city
of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord.


Thank you and Merry Christmas to all of our generous supporters. May you find joy this holiday season knowing you have uplifted our Wounded Warriors through the priceless gift of love.

At Christmastime and always, our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines serving all over the world hold a special place in our hearts.

Your Soldiers' Angels Team in Germany

For God so Loved the World

[This is an annual post.]

It was late evening when I walked by and looked into the room.

Both legs gone, way up. The rest covered with bandages and surgical draping, even his face. What was left of his arms was on boards out to both sides.

My body felt like lead. So heavy I was afraid the floor might give way beneath me. And I thought, this must be like the pain - and the love - Mary felt watching her son die for us.

Then, a voice in my head, saying over and over, “For God so loved the world, for God so loved the world... ”

I asked his nurse if I could gown up and go in.

It was Christmas Eve.




And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Gold Star Christmas

To our Gold Star families, with love.


Merry Christmas from Heaven

I still hear the songs
I still see the lights
I still feel your love
on cold wintery nights

I still share your hopes
and all of your cares
I'll even remind you
to please say your prayers

I just want to tell you
you still make me proud
You stand head and shoulders
above all the crowd

Keep trying each moment
to stay in His grace
I came here before you
to help set your place

You don't have to be
perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip
If you continue the climb

To my family and friends
please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you
In a new special place

I love you all dearly
now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year.

--John Wm. Mooney, Jr

Santa visits wounded warriors, staff members at hospital in Afghanistan

Santa Claus gives a Christmas stocking to wounded warrior Spc. Joseph Beldon, at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Dec. 18, 2012. Photo: Staff Sgt. David J. Overson.

Santa visits wounded warriors, staff members at hospital in Afghanistan

By Staff Sgt. David J. Overson, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (Dec. 19, 2012) -- For many service members deployed to Afghanistan, Christmas can be a very emotional and depressing time of year, as they are separated from their friends and family back home. However, this year, Santa came to town and brought joy with him as he gave Christmas stockings to staff members and patients at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital, at Bagram Airfield, Dec. 18.

Santa wandered the halls passing out stockings filled with fun to every staff member and patient he passed. For those not on shift yet, he left some behind. For the wounded warriors lying in hospital beds, Santa was a sight for sore eyes.

Spc. Joseph Beldon, an infantryman with Delta Company, 3-187 Infantry Regiment "Iron Rakkasans," and a native of Danville, Ky., was excited to see Santa.

"It means a lot to get a stocking this close to Christmas," said Beldon. "I've been sitting here in the hospital for five days by myself, and seeing Santa here really cheers you up."

Santa's workshop was assisted this year by the Blue Star Mothers of Henderson and Boulder City, Nev., when they sent more than 300 hand-made stockings filled with items to Craig Joint Theater Hospital.

Once the hospital received the stockings, staff members reached out to Santa, who agreed to come early this year and spread some Christmas cheer.

"It's awesome to be able to give these stockings out," said Santa. "I know everyone here is missing their friends and families back home, so when I give them a stocking, I can see it really lifts their spirits."

U.S. Air Force chaplain Capt. Peter Drury, the hospital chaplain, feels this is the best medicine both the staff and patients can receive this time of year.

"It's great. It shows that both Santa and the people back home are thinking about us," said Drury.

Santa wanted everyone to know that though he arrived early in Afghanistan, his regular deliveries will be on time.

More photos at the link.

Christmas at Arlington

At least 20,000 volunteers came to Arlington National Cemetery December 15, 2012 to place a Remembrance Wreath on 110,000 gravesites. A tradition that started more than 20 years ago, Wreaths Across America continues to supply wreaths for the graves of Veterans at cemeteries around the nation. Photo: The U.S. Army Facebook page.

Happy Hanukkah!

As you celebrate the Festival of Lights may your home be bright with happiness and love.

We light these lights for the miracles and the wonders, for the redemption and the battles that you made for our forefathers, in those days at this season, through your holy priests. During all eight days of Hanukkah these lights are sacred, and we are not permitted to make ordinary use of them except for to look at them in order to express thanks and praise to Your great Name for your miracles, Your wonders and Your salvations.