Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Lt. Schneider

Cpl. Brian Downard


Brian Downard was 23 years old, a father, a country music fan, and a corporal of Marines. He joined the Marine Corps in July of 2005, and would do two deployments to two different scenic locales. The first was to Iraq, where he served from November of ’06 to April of the following year. While in Iraq, Brian suffered a concussion from an IED strike while patrolling. Undeterred, Brian stayed in the Marines and deployed to Burma in 2008 when Marines and sailors with the Essex Amphibious Readiness Group provided humanitarian assistance operations to aid the cyclone-stricken country. He would eventually leave the service just last July, after four honorable years of service.

One month after separation, he discovered that he had testicular cancer, and a very aggressive strain at that. The cancer spread quickly to his muscles and fatty tissues, and Brian suffered so greatly with the pain that they put him on morphine. He was released from the VA to enjoy his last days with the love from his mom and his 7-year-old son Jesse.

You can read the rest of Cpl. Downard's story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Music Czar Monday

I can't quite put my finger on it, but this song always gives me nice warm feeling when I hear it. And pirates. I keep seeing pirates and the color red for some reason. But I can't figure out why.


Moving In Stereo (Live) by The Cars

Christmas Time Is Coming

We are only three months away from Christmas and this is the first year that I'm not sure whether or not I'll be in the mood. I haven't thought about doing any kind of shopping. Hell, I haven't even started on my Christmas theme for the blog yet. By now I'm usually on my third or fourth version. Maybe when the temps start to cool off and it starts to feel more like Winter I'll get in the spirit.

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Mike Golch


Lt. Ronald Markiewicz


The year is 1971. A Lieutenant in the United States Army by the name of Ronald Markiewicz is serving near the Laotian border. He is a helicopter pilot. In March of that year he is sent out to fly two missions. The first one was to resupply a group of Vietnamese Marines and pick up wounded service members. The second mission was to allow troops to recover the crew of a downed helicopter. One both occasions he faces anti-aircraft fire and is wounded each time.

Fast forward to 2010 and Lt. Ronald Markiewicz finally received the Silver Star and a Distinguished Flying Cross. The awards he earned 39 years ago.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From ArmyTimes.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Music Czar Monday

I love this song. Richard Wright was an amazing talent who is sorely missed.


Wearing The Inside Out (Live) by David Gilmour feat. Richard Wright

Life Lesson #1

You know, I never thought I would figure out the number one lesson in life. I always thought it would be like finding a Unicorn or a funny Will Ferrell movie. Impossible. But here it is. Life Lesson #1: Women always win. They do. They're smarter than us. They're stronger than us. They're better looking than us. They're just plain better than us.

Rewind

By now we've all heard of SSgt. Salvatore Guinta. But back in July of this year not many had. So, because of my post, I take full credit with his getting this award. No I don't. But if anyone deserves it it's SSgt. Guinta.

Wednesday Hero

Pvt. Daren A. Smith
19 years old from Helena, Montana
3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
December 13, 2007


Pvt. Daren A. Smith was born in Butte, Montana and lived there until he reached middle school, when he moved to Helena. He graduated from Helena High School in 2006 and completed a semester at the University of Montana-Helena College of Technology. He joined the United States Army in March of 2007 and was deployed to Iraq on November of that year.

Pvt. Daren A. Smith died on December 13, 2007 of non-combat related injuries. His funeral was held on a cold 20-degree Winter's day but that didn't stop hundreds of mourners from his hometown lining the streets to honor him.

"He was the kind of guy who would do anything for you," said a friend of Pvt. Smith. "He was just a great guy."

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Tribute To The Troops

Gene Simmons pays tribute to our fighting Men and Women. If you've never seen this, enjoy because it's pretty much awesome.

Music Czar Monday

Wednesday marks seven years since I started this blog and I've been thinking about it some lately. The people I've met. Some have moved on while others have become friends. There are two people in particular that I wanted to single out by dedicating this weeks MCM to them. Greta and my Sister from another mister, Jessica. They were two of my earliest readers and have, for some reason or other, stuck around. Thank you ladies. I hope I picked the right songs.

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Cell Phones For Soldiers

Cell Phones For Soldiers is an awesome site where you send them your old cell phones and they in turn use them to get prepaid calling cards to send to troops overseas so they can call home. Come on, how cool is that? Go check them out.

9 Years Later

A 30-year-old resident of the Israeli port town of Ashdot, Alona Abraham was 11 days into her first vacation in the United States on Sept. 11. She was on United Flight 175, which crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

Her cousin, Danny Raymond of Van Nuys, Calif., had been sending letters to his Israeli relatives for years, extolling the United States as exciting -- and peaceful.


An office worker, Abraham finally decided to visit, and in the process was hoping to meet a few nice Jewish boys who might make for a good life partner, Raymond said.


"Everything was really exciting to her, to be in a country she had only seen in newspapers and on TV," Raymond said. "She couldn't believe how different everything looked -- and that it was so peaceful."


Abraham's family were Mumbai (Bombay) Jews who emigrated to Israel in the 1950s. Raymond said Abraham was "all Indian" in appearance -- tall, with stunning black eyes and brown hair, a woman who found joy in being with friends and family -- "just the warmth, the heart, the goodness of being with someone."

Read more »

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Mike


Pvt. Barney F. Hajiro
93 years old from Waipahu, Hawaii
442nd Regimental Combat Team

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Burning The Qu'ran

So a church in Florida wants to hold a Qu'ran burning. While I think it's down right stupid and don't agree with it, they do have the right. Just like we have the right to burn or destroy the Bible, or any book, CD or what have you, or the flag. Or like those Westboro Baptist asses have the right to protest. I think it's hate speech myself, but they're not breaking any laws. At least I don't think they are. What I would like to see is this much attention and outrage when someone burns the flag. That would be nice.

Music Czar Monday

How to describe this band. Electro-Punk? The Sex Pistols dropped some E, bought a synthesizer and went Hardcore? Maybe not.


Invaders Must Die by The Prodigy

Wednesday Hero

Thank you Kathi. For the fourth year now you've been kind enough to put together this look back at the past year of posts for us. xoxoxox

Wednesday Hero - 2009/2010

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.