Hello.

8:00 p.m. (e.s.t.) ---- Begins tonight.... 10 part

Length: 90 | Original Airdate 9/17/17

The Vietnam War
Déjà Vu (1858-1961)

The first installment of a 10-part, 18-hour history of the Vietnam War. After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem's untested regime in the south.

http://www.pbs.org/

http://www.pbs.org/video/remember-uavfm1/

Oohrah MARINE!


John Kelly has a few words for the Democrat who called him a “disgrace to the uniform”
“As my blessed mother used to say ‘empty barrels make the most noise.’”
Updated by Alex Ward@AlexWardVoxalex.ward@vox.com Sep 11, 2017, 4:39pm EDT

https://www.vox.com/2017/9/11/16290240/john-kelly-luis-guiterrez-disgrace-to-the-uniform-daca

Thx. Stuffero !

Remember this??....grins

US Navy Commissions First-of-Class Expeditionary Sea Base, USS Lewis B. Puller
8/17/2017 4:17:00 PM



As Robbie said...The USS Puller.... Hell Yeah!

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin Steinberg, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy converted USNS Lewis B. Puller (T-ESB 3) to a U.S. naval warship, commissioning the Expeditionary Sea Base, USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) during a ceremony at Khalifa bin Salman Port in Al Hidd, Bahrain, Aug. 17.

Puller is the first U.S. ship to be commissioned outside the United States. With its commissioning, the U.S. Navy adds yet another warship towards its goal of having a larger, more capable force. The ship's reclassification provides U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and U.S. 5th Fleet greater flexibility to better meet regional challenges.

Vice Adm. Donegan, commander of Naval Forces Central Command said, "The Puller isn't just another ship, but a revolutionary concept; a ship that provides us a key platform that will provide continuity to a variety of operations," he continued saying, "Named after the most decorated Marine in American history, the USS Lewis B. Puller will provide greater operational flexibility to 5th Fleet, forward-deployed as the first ship built specifically for the purpose of serving as an expeditionary sea base. As such, it will augment our amphibious forces, not replace them, mine countermeasure forces and provide an expeditionary sea base for maritime security operations throughout the region."

The need for new solutions to new problems in the 5th Fleet area of operations continues to grow and Donegan recognized the challenge.

"As the security environment becomes faster paced, more complex and increasingly competitive, with the ever-growing and evolving challenge of asymmetric threats from state and non-state actors alike, the Navy has a growing need to station more diverse and capable warships around the globe. Commissioning this expeditionary sea base, the USS Lewis B. Puller, will allow the Navy and Marine Corps team to meet the threats in the region head on," said Donegan.

Puller's namesake, Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller, was the most decorated Marine in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps. He is one of only two men, and the only Marine, to be awarded five Navy Crosses. He fought in Haiti and Nicaragua, as well as several key battles in World War II and the Korean War.

"For the most part, [Puller] spent much of his time in the Pacific," said Lt. Gen. Dave Beydler, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command. "Why was he there? Because that is where the fight was ... I would argue that if he lived in our era, he would have spent a majority of his time in this region, the CENTCOM [area of responsibility]. I'm glad to have Chesty Puller back where the fight is."

Capt. Adan G. Cruz is the USS Puller's first commanding officer. Per naval tradition, Cruz read his orders before addressing those in attendance.

"It is really an honor to be part of a team and part of a crew with great Sailors and great civilian mariners," said Cruz.

Puller's crew of nearly 150 Sailors and civilian mariners work in concert with one another as did those on the ship's predecessor, USS Ponce (AFSB-(I) 15) to extend U.S. Naval Forces Central Command's maritime reach in 5th Fleet by supporting a wide variety of missions including counter-piracy operations, maritime security operations, humanitarian aid, disaster relief and crisis response operations.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusnc/.

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=102004

From #1 Son....


A Priest, a Democrat, and a Marine find themselves surrounded by cannibals after surviving a helicopter crash. The cannibal chief says "I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is we're going to kill you and make canoes out of your skins. The good news is you can choose how you want die.

The Priest ask for a gun and shoots himself in the head. The Democrat asks for poison that kills him instantly. Last, the Marine asks for a fork. The cannibal chief gives the Marine a confused look and asks, "a fork?" But he gives him the fork anyway.

Then, the Marine begins stabbing himself all over his body. The cannibal chief looks at him in shock and yells, "what are you doing!?" The Marine looks the chief straight in the eye and yells, "FooK YOUR CANOE."

The F-35 Critics vs. the Facts
By Chet Richards

The people working on various aspects of the F-35 fighter program must be very frustrated. The program is still highly classified, so that much that is taking place within the program is simply not available for discussion. And yet, the F-35’s critics are baying and howling and often deliberately misrepresenting the program and its products.

The F-35 program is not one program. It is several. Its products are three different aircraft and several brand-new, and highly innovative, technologies. It provides quantum leaps in aviation technology in many different areas. Simultaneously achieving all these technical breakthroughs has obviously proved difficult. But that is not surprising -- it is the norm in innovative engineering.

The program is producing three very different aircraft: the F-35A is a conventional takeoff aircraft for the Air Force. The F-35B is a vertical takeoff and landing capable aircraft for the Marine Corps. The F-35C is a catapult takeoff and carrier landing aircraft for the Navy. From a distance, the aircraft look alike and inside they share much avionics and the core of the engine. But don’t be fooled. These are very different aircraft.

The F/A-18 Hornet and the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet also look like they are the same aircraft. But they are really two completely different aircraft. The Hornet was developed in the 1970s and was manufactured in the 1980s. The Super Hornet was developed in the 1990s and was in production after 2000. The Super Hornet is 20% larger, up to 15,000 pounds heavier, has 40% greater range and 50% greater endurance. They look alike simply because the Super Hornet borrowed excellent aerodynamic design from the Hornet. Time and money saved.

Then why are they both called "F-18"? Try selling a brand new aircraft to Congress! For that matter, try selling three different aircraft to Congress: just call them all F-35s and make sure they look alike.

The real intent of unifying the various F-35 programs under one management umbrella was to make sure that each of the three different aircraft, and innovative technologies, would be fully compatible for Joint Service Operations. Moreover, there is substantial fabrication and logistics commonality and this reduces overall unit cost and subsequent support cost.

It should be noted that the F-35 development effort is not quite complete. There are still bugs to be fixed. This is normal, and normally provided for in the Integrated Master Plan and Schedule.

At a similar point in the development of the M1 Abrams tank, its critics were howling for program cancellation because of the tank’s many developmental bugs. The bugs were fixed and the M1 proved itself, in battle, to be by far the deadliest tank in history.

Even though Initial Operating Capability (IOC) has been declared for the F-35A and the F-35B, this does not mean that these aircraft have their full combat capability -- although some units have been forward deployed. IOC really means that these aircraft are training the crews that will eventually operationally fly improved production models. And, in a pinch, they could fight.

My old boss, mentor, and dear friend, the late Bill O’Neil, used to say that a fighter plane is a truck. Its job is to deliver a munition to the right place at the right time. It doesn’t matter what it looks like. Try telling that to a fighter jock. What he wants is something looking sleek and deadly!

But Bill was right, and his contribution to the F-35 is major. I mentioned that several innovative programs existed under the F-35 umbrella. One of the most important of these is Bill’s Distributed Aperture System -- the DAS.



The DAS on the F-35 consists of six infrared sensors (cameras) placed at various parts of the aircraft. A complex computing system seamlessly fuses the imagery and presents it to the helmet visor of the pilot in such a way that wherever he looks he sees the world outside the aircraft as if the walls of the aircraft are simply not there. No need to roll the aircraft to see the ground below, just look down. No need to turn the aircraft to look straight behind, just turn your head. The wings are no longer there to obscure your vision.

Imagine a pilot about to land his nose-up aircraft on the deck of an aircraft carrier. It is night. It is storming. The carrier’s lights are doused because an enemy is nearby. To the naked eye the carrier simply does not exist. Only the lights of the Optical Landing System are visible. If you have any doubts about the seriousness of this scenario just talk to a carrier qualified pilot, as I have. It scares even the most experienced pilots!

Because the DAS sensors see in the infrared, night looks like day. With DAS, the pilot looks down just below his instrument panel. The now brightly lit carrier’s deck is fully visible to him at all times. Landing is so very much easier. Carrier pilots are going to love the DAS.

But the F-35 DAS is in its infancy. It is easy to envision where this technology is going to go, with greatly increased spatial resolution and hyperspectral imaging. DAS is definitely the future -- the future for all aircraft -- thanks to the F-35 program.

Any way you slice it, the DAS is a technical achievement of the first magnitude. The F-35 Program Office deserves great credit for betting on the vision, and the genius, of William F. O’Neil.

So the F-35 program not only has produced three different aircraft, it has sponsored major advances in aviation technology -- the work of wizards.

Still, the critics howl: The new engines gulp marginally more fuel than 4th generation engines. The air intakes are too large and draggy. Exotic coatings mean aircraft maintenance is increased and availability is decreased. The list goes on. This is selective reporting by the critics.

The critics deliberately fail to note that the F-35 engines have 50% greater thrust with a 50% greater thrust to weight ratio and yet are the same size and weight as the 4th gen engines. With higher thrust-to-weight, range is extended. With the larger intakes high altitude performance is significantly enhanced. With internal weapons carriage range is extended, not diminished.

And, always keep in mind that it is the Government that writes the requirements, not the contractors. The F-35 projects must meet those technical requirements or the companies don’t get paid.

Experienced fighter pilots love the plane. John Venable, in his “Operational Assessment of the F-35 Fighter,” interviewed senior fighter pilots who tested early developmental models of the various F-35’s. Those tests were the source of much of the criticism. Yet, with a few still to be corrected performance measures, the testers preferred these new aircraft to their more familiar 4th generation fighters. Since that earlier report, some of these testers have flown further developed versions of the F-35. They are amazed at the improvement. These planes are shaping up to be real air combat winners.

In all the controversy it is vital to remember the F-35 series of aircraft are stealthy. They can deliver munitions to the right place at the right time inside Integrated Air Defenses that would blow 4th generation aircraft out of the sky.

Yes, the three different F-35 aircraft are still teething. Soon these three kittens will grow up to become ferocious Tigers!

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/07/the_f35_critics_vs_the_facts.html#ixzz4lssaQNbv
Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

A story that need be shared !

Larry G. was a good childhood friend of mine. Grew up doing
things kids do ---- never ever thinking LIFE would deal things like this.

Larry also took the time to look me up when both stationed in Da Nang in '66 ---- took me out in the boondocks and made me realize how sweet
I had it stationed at air base.

His son's mother is also a good friend from high school days ---- tough for the family to go through this. Remarkable story !!

https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/articles/marines-belongings-find-themselves-returning-home

Perfect....and Soooo true....Semper Fi

GOD BLESS THEM ALL ~~~~~ R.I.P. Warriors!

So deprived....grins

I heard that.....really glad leadership in the VA will now be held accountable...

President Donald J. Trump visits VA and signs executive order ‘Improving Accountability and Whistleblower Protection at the Department of Veterans Affairs’


http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/37483/president-donald-j-trump-visits-va-and-signs-executive-order-improving-accountability-and-whistleblower-protection-at-the-department-of-veterans-affairs/

No sex since 1955.......
 
A crusty old Marine Sergeant Major found himself at a gala event hosted by a  local liberal arts college.
 
There was no shortage of extremely young idealistic ladies in attendance, one of whom approached the  Sergeant Major for conversation.
 
"Excuse me, Sergeant Major, but you seem to be a very serious man. Is something bothering you?"
 
"Negative, ma'am. Just serious by nature."
 
The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, "It looks like you have seen a lot of action."
 
"Yes, ma'am, a lot of action."
 
The young lady,  trying to start up a conversation, said, "You know, you should lighten up.  Relax and enjoy yourself."
 
The Sergeant Major just stared at her in his serious manner.
 
Finally the young lady said, "You know, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but when is the last time you had sex?"
 
 
"1955, ma'am."
 
"Well, there you are.
 
No wonder you're so serious.
You really need to chill out! I mean, no sex since 1955!
She took his hand and led him to a private room where she proceeded to "relax" him several times.
 
Afterwards, panting for breath, she leaned against his bare chest and said, "Wow, you sure didn't forget much since 1955."
 
The Sergeant Major said, after glancing at his watch, "I hope not; it's only 2130 now."

I miss Top

Says it all ~~~~~

Just in case you do a fly by ~~~~~

Camp Lejune ~~~~ water......

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVA/bulletins/18ded6e


http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/35977/vas-rule-establishes-presumption-service-connection-diseases-associated-exposure-contaminants-water-supply-camp-lejeune/

nice

No matter how many times I read this...it just reminds me of where we used to be as a Country and what it has evolved to....and how grateful I am I grew up as a Military Brat...

WOW! What a great read.
Such honesty from the author so good to see.

A thought for today, tomorrow and forever..

My Heart on the Line
by Frank Schaeffer of the Washington Post

Before my son became a Marine, I never thought much about who was defending me. Now when I read of the war on terrorism or the coming conflict in Iraq, it cuts to my heart. When I see a picture of a member of our military who has been killed, I read his or her name very carefully. Sometimes I cry.

In 1999, when the barrel-chested Marine recruiter showed up in dress blues and bedazzled my son John, I did not stand in the way. John was headstrong, and he seemed to understand these stern, clean men with straight backs and flawless uniforms. I did not. I live in the Volvo-driving, higher education-worshiping North Shore of Boston. I write novels for a living. I have never served in the military.

It had been hard enough sending my two older children off to Georgetown and New York University. John's enlisting was unexpected, so deeply unsettling. I did not relish the prospect of answering the question, "So where is John going to college?" from the parents who were itching to tell me all about how their son or daughter was going to Harvard. At the private high school John attended, no other students were going into the military.

"But aren't the Marines terribly Southern?" asked one perplexed mother while standing next to me at the brunch following graduation. "What a waste, he was such a good student," said another parent. One parent (a professor at a nearby and rather famous university) spoke up at a school meeting and suggested that the school should "carefully evaluate what went wrong."

When John graduated from three months of boot camp on Parris Island, 3000 parents and friends were on the parade deck stands. We parents and our Marines not only were of many races but also were representative of many economic classes. Many were poor. Some arrived crammed in the backs of pickups, others by bus. John told me that a lot of parents could not afford the trip.

We in the audience were white and Native American. We were Hispanic, Arab, and African American, and Asian. We were former Marines wearing the scars of battle, or at least baseball caps emblazoned with battles' names. We were Southern whites from Nashville and skinheads from New Jersey, black kids from Cleveland wearing ghetto rags and white ex-cons with ham-hock forearms defaced by jailhouse tattoos. We would not have been mistaken for the educated and well-heeled parents gathered on the lawns of John's private
school a half-year before.

After graduation one new Marine told John, "Before I was a Marine, if I had ever seen you on my block I would've probably killed you just because you were standing there." This was a serious statement from one of John's good friends, a black ex-gang member from Detroit who, as John said, "would die for me now, just like I'd die for him."

My son has connected me to my country in a way that I was too selfish and insular to experience before. I feel closer to the waitress at our local diner than to some of my oldest friends. She has two sons in the Corps. They are facing the same dangers as my boy. When the guy who fixes my car asks me how John is doing, I know he means it. His younger brother is in the Navy.

Why were I and the other parents at my son's private school so surprised by his choice? During World War II, the sons and daughters of the most powerful and educated families did their bit. If the idea of the immorality of the Vietnam War was the only reason those lucky enough to go to college dodged the draft, why did we not encourage our children to volunteer for military service once that war was done?

Have we wealthy and educated Americans all become pacifists? Is the world a safe place? Or have we just gotten used to having somebody else defend us? What is the future of our democracy when the sons and daughters of the janitors at our elite universities are far more likely to be put in harm's way than are any of the students whose dorms their parents clean?

I feel shame because it took my son's joining the Marine Corps to make me take notice of who is defending me. I feel hope because perhaps my son is part of a future "greatest generation. "As the storm clouds of war gather, at least I know that I can look the men and women in uniform in the eye. My son is one of them. He is the best I have to offer. He is my heart.

*A Christmas Poem*



The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

transforming the yard to a winter delight.



The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve



My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love, I would sleep,

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.



The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,



Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.



Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.



"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack; brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,



To the window that danced with a warm fire's light.

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.


No one had to ask or beg or implore,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before.

My Gramps died at Pearl on a day in December."

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas Gram always remembers."



"My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.



I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures; he's sure got her smile."

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.



"I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home



I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life for my sister or brother,

Who stand at the front against any and all

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."



"So go back inside," he said, "Harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least?

Give you money," I asked, "Or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

for being away from your wife and your son."



Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

that we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Poet Unk

/Salute.....Never

R.I.P. Pearl Warriors ~~~~ we will never forget you!

To Marines, Gen. James Mattis is the finest of our tribal elders. The rest of the world, very soon, will know how truly gifted he is.
Stanton S. Coerr
By Stanton S. Coerr
December 2, 2016

This article is slightly amended and reprinted, with permission, from The Strategy Bridge.

https://thefederalist.com/2016/12/02/served-james-mattis-heres-learned/

(( compliments of stuff-ero ))

Awesome EZ...Marine pilots RoK..

Our nephew's unit ---- brother's oldest son ---- the legacy continues

James Mattis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mattis

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/11/20/trump-mad-dog-mattis-very-impressive-secdef-candidate.html

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/memorable-quotes-gen-james-mad-dog-mattis/story?id=43693457

Great cause....will do..

HELP !!

Wreaths Across America: Donations still needed to honor fallen US veterans on December 17

http://www.fox5dc.com/news/220694741-story
http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/#join-us

high^^^^^

Thanks....had to share it...

Semper fi!

http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=126736665

Hope the Vet makes it and TY Judge for your compassion!

MAD DOG MATTIS ~~ make it happen DJT!

From Diane Romanowski :
This is a true story . . .

Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, 'Where are you guys from?'

I told him that we were from Wisconsin . 'Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.'

(It was James Bradley

J who just happened to be in Washington , DC , to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who had passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, DC, but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)

'My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin My dad is on that statue, and I wrote a book called 'Flags of Our Fathers'. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.

'Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team.. They were off to play another type of game. A game called 'War.' But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it.

(He pointed to the statue) 'You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph...a photograph of his girlfriend Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima . Boys. Not old men.

'The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the 'old man' because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country' He knew he was talking to little boys.. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'

'The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona . Ira Hayes was one of them who lived to walk off Iwo Jima . He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?'

So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down, drowned in a very shallow puddle, at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was taken).

'The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky . A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night.' Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. Those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

'The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin , where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews.

When Walter Cronkite's producers or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada . Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell 's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.

'You see, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a combat caregiver. On Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died on Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the pain.

'When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.'

'So that's the story about six nice young boys.. Three died on Iwo Jima , and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time.'

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.

One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that is not mentioned here is . . that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God.

GREAT morning....5 days....11 hours....47 minutes and seconds.....

GM !!!

What an amazing way to tell the Vet....you actually care....what's Next EZ???

What's next?

http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/32825/honorourfuture-dont-just-thank-a-veteran-ask-whats-next/

THANKS to ALL who served!!

HB to you too my friend....