Sunday, May 31, 2009

Every Day Hero

Lance Corporal Matthew Farmer (right), with a United States Marine, carries out a vehicle check at Camp Bastion
[Picture: MOD]

US Marines honour UK soldier for work at Camp Bastion

A History and Honour news article

28 May 09

A British soldier has been honoured by the United States Marine Corps for his work in sorting, searching and clearing Camp Bastion's entry control point of nearly 200 vehicles per day.

As Entry Control Point Commander at the UK's biggest base in Helmand province, Lance Corporal Matthew Farmer is responsible for all vehicles which pass through the joint Camp Bastion and new US Marine Corps Camp Leatherneck complex every day.

More than 10,000 troops from the US Marine Corps have been moving into Helmand province over the last few months establishing Camp Leatherneck as their headquarters.

Lance Corporal Matthew Farmer has been presented with the US Marine Corps Meritorious Mast after he showed his endurance and volunteerism by taking on the arduous task.

He was singled out by the Americans as the perfect example of displaying superior initiative, exceptional performance and a strong work ethic during his deployment in Afghanistan.

Commanding Officer of the US Marine Corps Brigade Headquarters Group, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Naler, said:

"We felt it was appropriate that Lance Corporal Farmer was recognised for his performance in facilitating the through-put of all our supplies and critical vehicles into Camp Bastion and Leatherneck in order to support the US Marine Corps in getting mission-ready."

LCpl Farmer, who has served in the Army for seven years and is on his fourth operational tour, said:

"I'm honoured to receive this award from Lieutenant Colonel Naler. I was shocked when he presented it to me, it was a complete surprise, but of course I'm very pleased."

He continued:

Lance Corporal Farmer's citation for the United States Marine Corps Meritorious Mast

Lance Corporal Farmer's citation for the United States Marine Corps Meritorious Mast
[Picture: MOD]

"The US Marine Corps is building Camp Leatherneck at the moment to facilitate the surge of over 10,000 Marines that are coming into Helmand province. That means bringing in a lot of trucks and vehicles to build and maintain a very big camp. We have to search them all.

"It's great working with the US Marines, we all get along very well with them. They have a good sense of humour."

The Meritorious Mast award is derived from the pre-twentieth century US Navy tradition of gathering the crew around the main mast of the ship to deliver punishment and rewards.

In the modern US Marine Corps it is a written recognition of work exceptionally well performed and is of greater value than a Letter of Appreciation or a Certificate of Commendation.

Camp Bastion Chief of Staff, Wing Commander John Bleeker RAF, said:

"If you are awarded a Meritorious Mast in the US Marine Corps it significantly adds to your chances of promotion. They don't give these out lightly. It is an impressive achievement for Lance Corporal Farmer."

LCpl Farmer's citation added that his 'exceptional attention to detail and strong work ethic significantly contributed to the safe and effective processing of thousands of vehicles', concluding that his 'efforts and faithful service reflect great credit upon [himself] and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom'.[source UK MoD where you'll find all sorts of great news about MY Brits.]


Thank YOU for your service Lance Corporal Farmer.

Music and Me

Saturday, May 30, 2009

My Hero Gabe












As some of you know, there has been a major change in Gabe and Chuck's partnership in the last few weeks. Some of us have been following their life together for a long time now.

I am a firm believer in what I call "the photo album of the heart." You know - those moments in each of our lives that are permanently engraved on our heart, long after the physical photos have faded and worn. Gabe and Chuck's life together is well-documented - thanks to Chuck! - and I have chosen just a few photos for here.

I KNOW that no matter where Chuck or Gabe go in the future, both their hearts are entwined one with the other. For the rest of us, Gabe and Chuck will always be in our hearts.

I really have no words to express how I feel, so will share here what I posted somewhere else long ago, and which Chuck had sent me. Also check out a slideshow that Chuck put together



I ask you all to keep Chuck and Gabe forever in your prayers.

Sent to me by my favourite K9 team - Chuck and Gabe - and sent by ME to all of you with my love for ALL the K9's. You are all MY Heroes.....

Partners Chuck and Gabe taking a moment
GUARDIANS OF THE NIGHT

Trust in me my friend for I am your comrade.
I will protect you with my last breath.

When all others have left you
And the loneliness of the night closes in, I will be at your side.

Together we will conquer all obstacles
And search out those who might wish harm to others.

All I ask of you is compassion,
The caring touch of your hands.

It is for you that I will selflessly give my life And spend my nights un rested.

Although our days together
May be marked by the passing of the seasons.
Know that each day at your side is my reward.

My days are measured by
The coming and going of your footsteps.
I anticipate them at the opening of the door.

You are the voice of caring when I am ill.
The voice of authority over me when I've done wrong.

Do not chastise me unduly
For I am your right arm,
The sword at your side.

I attempt to do only what you bid of me.
I seek only to please you and remain in your favor.
Together you and I shall experience

A bond only others like you will understand.
When outsiders see us together
Their envy will be measured by their disdain.

I will quietly listen to you
And pass no judgment.
Nor will your spoken words be repeated.
I will remain ever silent,

Ever vigilant, ever loyal.
And when our time together is done
And you move on in the world,

Remember me with kind thoughts and tales.
For a time we were unbeatable,
Nothing passed among us undetected.

If we should ever meet again on another field I will gladly take up your fight.

I am a [MWD] and together

We are GUARDIANS of the NIGHT.

Author unknown


Always in my heart: My heroes Gabe AND Chuck (and of course, Bratdog will ALWAYS love Gabe!)

Prince Harry in NY

(courtesy of The Press Association)


(Britain's Prince Harry, (L), greets Madison Iken, 4, and her mother Monica Iken, whose husband was killed on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site May 29, 2009 in New York. New York Governor David Paterson is at rear.

REUTERS/Stephen Chernin/Pool)



(courtesy of Reuters)

Prince Harry gets warm New York greeting


NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Britain's Prince Harry made his first official visit to New York on Friday to pay somber respects to September 11 victims and wounded veterans and was met by crowds who greeted him as a fun-loving heartthrob more than as a royal diplomat.

The prince, third in line to Britain's throne, placed a wreath at Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center attacks where dozens of Britons were among the nearly 3,000 dead. And he formally named a garden in Manhattan's financial district in their honor.

At Ground Zero, the 24-year-old prince, red-haired and lanky, chatted with family members of David Berry, a securities analyst who died in the September 11 attacks.

Berry's son Nile, 16, said afterward that he told the prince that the girls at his school had wanted him to give their names to the eligible British bachelor.

"He just laughed," Berry said. "They think he's quite the heartthrob.

"I wanted to invite him to our high school dance tonight, but I'm sure he's got bigger and better things to do," Berry said.

Harry bowed his head in silence after laying a wreath of yellow roses, pink peonies and white tulips at the muddy construction site where the Twin Towers once stood.

During his two-day trip to New York he stopped at a veterans hospital prosthetics ward and was due to have a meeting with wounded soldiers from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Harry, who served in Afghanistan with British forces, is training to become a military helicopter pilot.

He was slated to attend a private reception and dinner on Friday and to play in a charity polo match on Saturday before returning home....

(source)

Friday, May 29, 2009

B*N*S*N

B*N*S*N was started as a way to share stories that you will NEVER see in the msm. Today's surely comes in that category. Peanut may never make it on to any front page, but she IS in so many hearts, she is MY story of this week.

Playing with Peanut 23MAY09


And Rob says:

We made a quick trip to San Jose to visit Peanut. She is doing great. She is actually making more sounds and you can actually hear her giggling some when we were playing with her. She was gettting tired, and shortly after this video stopped, she fell asleep with her head on my arm. What a great time.


The sound of a child giggling is one of my favourite sounds in the whole world..! Stay tuned!!!

Do the Right Thing: Defeat Harry Reid

From Do The Right Thing comes this:

Monday
25May

Military Mom Targets Liberals on Memorial Day

As I write this note to you it's the day before Memorial Day - a time when America reflects on the services and sacrifices of our military men and women. As the proud mother of a United States Marine who has served several tours of duty in the War on Terror this day has special meaning for me.

Memorial Day 2009 will be even more unique for me this year. You see,on MondayI depart on a trip that will take me all across the state of Nevada to fight back against liberal Democrat Harry Reid who has dishonored our military men and women time and again. He tried to cut off their funding. He said they had "lost" their war against terrorists. And he called their General, David Petraeus, a liar.

To top things off, Barack Obama is also traveling to Nevada - shamefully to support Harry Reid and help him raise millions of dollars for his re-election campaign.

But I'm going to take on Barack Obama and Harry Reid head on. As you know, we are officially launching our "Defeat Harry Reid" campaign when Obama travels to Nevada to campaign for Reid, with the hallmark event being a multi-million dollar fundraiser for Reid that will include singer Sheryl "One Sheet of TP" Crow andBette Middler.

We will be responding with a TV ad campaign blitzing the state, news conferences in Reno & Las Vegas, and a big protest of Obama & Reid outside of their Las Vegas fundraiser. If Obama & Reid are going to try to kick off their campaign and make it look like they are loved and adored, then we will kick off our "Defeat Harry Reid" campaign and show them both that they are not!..

Go - NOW! - and read the rest here. Then, Do The Right Thing.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Where is Nevaeh?


Endangered Missing
NEVAEH BUCHANAN

DOB: Feb 3, 2004
Missing: May 24, 2009
Age Now: 5
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 3'8" (112 cm)
Weight: 45 lbs (20 kg)
Missing From:
MONROE
MI
United States




Both photos shown are of Nevaeh. She was last seen riding her bicycle on the evening of May 24, 2009, in the parking lot of her apartment complex. She was last seen wearing a red, white, and blue striped shirt and knee length blue jeans. When Nevaeh was last seen, she was not wearing shoes.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children


1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)

Monroe County Sheriff's Office (Michigan) 1-734-243-7070



FaceBook group here.

Let's get the word out and find this precious child.

Jackass of the Day Award — it’s not just for politicians and the elite


From Claire, comes the latest recipient of this much lauded award:

Jackass of the Day Award — it’s not just for politicians and the elite


Just saw a headline about someone being offended by the flag Tweeted by Pat Dollard who has posted the article at his blog (and I have an excerpt below)

***Also, the post below is updated with contact information to the hospital if you would like to contact them. Thank you Hank for the information found in your comment! ***

This is unbelievable.

Sorry if our flag offends you.

Sorry if it doubly offends you on Memorial Day when we are remembering the young men and women who come home in coffins draped with that flag because they chose to fight for your freedom.

People.tick.me.off.

So here’s to you “Ms. Your-flag-offends-others-so-take-it-down” — let me finish that statement for you –

“Your flag is offensive, but I love to live off the blood sacrifice of the Patriots who come home draped in that Flag, because I don’t have the courage to do it myself. I have the courage to make you take down your flag because some ungrateful moron from Africa is offended by the site of the flag that gives him the freedom to even come to this country and have a freaking job.”

There you go. You earned it. You are the Jackass of the Day!...

You MUST go read the who, what, why, when ...It's a Claire gem, I promise. Here. Oh, and be sure and note the contact information. Just sayin'.

POV: we don't need terrorists...

Statistics can be manipulated to further any point of view. I often receive interesting stuff in my inbox. Some purport to be factual. Some are obviously pushing a certain point of view.

This video is all 'statistics.' Take a look, and decide for yourself:



H/T Mark here

The Last Black President

Via Canada Free Press comes this:
The Last Black President
By
Bob Parks Sunday, May 24, 2009

imageAs a resident of Massachusetts, I see real parallels between the rise and fall of our first black governor Deval Patrick, and the rise and coming fall of the first black president, Barack Obama. Let’s get to some politically incorrect, uncomfortable-to-say for some, specifics.

The Ballot Becomes The Race Card

Both Deval Patrick and Barack Obama had the same campaign guru: David Axelrod.

Using white liberal guilt to his political advantage, Axelrod created candidates that were immune from the normal political vetting process, as any attempt to do such would be called veiled racism. With that, they ran with vague slogans that touched at progressive heartstrings, and they did. Patrick’s “Together We Can” and Obama’s “Yes We Can” slogans offered what the beholder thought he or she wanted, without the nasty details.

Again hiding behind the race smear, virtually no one pestered the candidates for details of what they planned on doing once in office. Patrick and Obama were allowed to say whatever they wanted to make the voters feel better about making history. The beauty of this strategy was that any opposition to these candidates had the typical politically correct response in the waiting: racism.

With Patrick’s victory, Axelrod found his template and with Barack Obama, took it national....

Read the rest here, and then check out more of Bob Parks here.

Claire of Knee Deep in the Hooah! also interviewed Bob this last weekend. Go check that out here on YouServed Blog Talk Radio.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wednesday Hero

USS George H.W. Bush
USS George H.W. Bush
U.S. Navy

Sailors assigned to the Air Department of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) are silhouetted against the setting sun at the conclusion of flight operations. George H.W. is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting flight deck certifications.


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.
Wednesday Hero Logo

Monday, May 25, 2009

Music and Me: If you're reading this

Kory and Cooper (picture courtesy of BlackFive)

Eddie

Patrick


Joseph

Nichola



Just a few of MY heroes, "standing up for the innocent and the weak...."

Always Remembered and Honoured.

My Memorial Day Prayer

My Memorial Day Prayer

Father God,

Look down on the Stone Towers dotting our land.

Help them speak to us once and forever, again.

Imbue us with an entombed heroic patriot’s heart.

Give us the strength to give liberty a new start,

Help us find a way to invigorate new generations

Which truly do not know the glory of our nation.

Give voice to the enormity of their sacrifice.

Allow us to fully appreciate the sacrificed lives.

The freedom they bought for many survives.

Show us the truth in waving Stars and Stripes.

Please remind us that those colors never ran

While raised by our valiant warriors’ hands.

Strengthen our resolve to survive tough times too.

Bestow on us the wisdom to lean on You.

Let us not be deaf to the Stone Towers’ words.

Those souls are exalted and our spiritual swords.

In Your Son’s Name let us all remember

Those who served…now serve…and will serve.

Amen.

Michael D. Mullins, 5/22/09



Michael D. "Moon" Mullins, author of "Vietnam in Verse, poetry for beer drinkers." "ViV" won the Gold Medal for poetry, 2007, from the Military Writers Society of America. The book is available on line from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, books-a-million.com and iUniverse.com.
It is available as an audio-book from the author. Please contact me at this e-mail address; mullins.m.1@comcast.net or via land mail at POB 456 Windfall, In. 46076.
Vietnam Veteran, Delta 3/7, 199th Light Infantry, '68-'69.
Vice President of the Military Writers Society of America

Just a Veteran

From my friend Dean:
Friday, May 22, 2009

Just A Veteran


I am a veteran. There are many like me. We are not the government's veterans, we are your veterans. Some of us gave all, but all gave some and we have known hardship, service, fear, and brotherhood in ways that most people can't even imagine. We have seen our brothers killed and maimed, and sometimes become disfigured along the way. We have taken lives for our country, and returned to our lives as your neighbors, fathers, and native sons. Our courage is undeniable, yet it remains a trait we keep in silent humility, sharing only with a fellow veteran, if at all.

We don't ask for much but there are two things we will ask if you love this country as much as those of us who have sacrificed so much, many who have given their last full measure.

Pray for those of us who remain and never, ever forget those who rest now in cemeteries all over this beautiful land and on foreign soil, and those who remain in battlefields known but to God.

We are the thousands who fought for you, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, loved ones who answered the call to protect and defend this greatest nation on God's green earth.

For all those currently serving in harms way;

Soldiers Prayer Psalm 91...


If you read nothing else today, please go and read the rest here.

Thank you, Dean. You know that you, and ALL veterans - those who gave - have a special place in my heart.

Arlington

Memorial Day at Arlington: Flags In

Airman Jacob Proffer, a member of the Air Force Honor Guard, pauses to salute a grave after placing a miniature flag at its base during the “Flags In” tribute at Arlington National Cemetery, May 21, 2009. “When I do this, it makes me take a lot more pride every time I put on my uniform, seeing the measure of sacrifice so many have made,” he said. DoD photo by Donna Miles


Arlington ‘Flags In’ Tribute Begins Memorial Day Commemoration

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2009 – More than 3,000 servicemembers officially kicked off the Memorial Day commemoration last evening as they placed more than 250,000 miniature flags at every grave at Arlington National Cemetery.

The tradition, known as “Flags In,” dates back to 1948, when soldiers of 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” began the annual Memorial Day tribute.

This year marked the sixth year company-size elements of sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen joined about 3,000 soldiers in placing a U.S. flag at the base of the gravestone and columbarium niche of every servicemember buried or inurned at Arlington.

Yesterday afternoon, the troops fanned out across the cemetery’s hills and valleys, carrying rucksacks bulging with bundles of flags. They approached each headstone, centering a miniature flag exactly one boot length from the base before sinking it into the ground.

“I can’t say how lucky I feel to have the opportunity to do this,” said Army Sgt. Daniel Sonntag, a member of the Old Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion.

“Not many people get to do something like this,” said Sonntag, who deployed to Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division in September 2006 and has friends buried at Arlington. “This is something small we can do to honor those who have fallen before us. … It’s a way to recognize how important each one of these men and women here really was.”

Airman 1st Class Rion Ehrman, a member of the Air Force Honor Guard who routinely participates in funeral details at the cemetery, said he felt humbled to participate in the Flags In tribute to honor the fallen. “It’s a real honor to be putting the flag they died for right in front of them, especially on Memorial Day,” he said.

“It’s just beautiful,” Ehrman said as he paused to look out over the sea of flags fluttering in the wind. “I just love Arlington, and I think it’s the best job in the world, to be here every day.”

Arms laden with flags, Navy Seaman Christopher Crespo knelt down at one gravestone after another, eyeing the flags to ensure they were properly aligned. “We’re honoring the people who have served before us,” he said. “What we are doing symbolizes that we haven’t forgotten them.”

At the same time, he said, it will send that message to all who will visit the cemetery during the Memorial Day weekend. “Everyone who sees this will know that we have not forgotten, and that we still care,” he said.

Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Carson Zumalt turned the Flags In tribute into a family affair, with his wife, Candice, sons, Aiden and Connor, and sister, Amber Lane, joining in the effort.

Zumalt called participating in Flags In “a powerful reminder of the sacrifices that have been made for our freedoms” and the ultimate cost that many, including some of his brothers in arms, have paid. “We all know what we’re up against when we join the service and deploy,” he said. “This is a way to tell them, ‘Thank you for your service.’”

Airman Jacob Proffer, a member of the Air Force Honor Guard, paused to salute a grave after placing a miniature flag at its base. “When I do this, it makes me take a lot more pride every time I put on my uniform, seeing the measure of sacrifice so many have made,” he said. “I hope that when people come here and see this, they will understand the price of our freedoms.”

Nowhere at Arlington did that sacrifice feel quite as poignant as in Section 60, lined by the graves of many casualties of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Read the rest here: source]

On this Memorial Day: 1LT. Roslyn L. Schulte



1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte, 25, of St. Louis, Mo., died May 20 near Kabul, Afghanistan of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. She was assigned to the Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces Command, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

Lt. Schulte is the first female graduate of the Air Force Academy ever to die from enemy fire.

Robert Schulte remembers asking his 2-year-old daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up. "Chairman of the board," she replied.

Robert Schulte recalled the moment through tears Wednesday, just hours after Air Force representatives informed him that his only daughter, 1st Lt. Roslyn Schulte, 25, had been killed by a roadside bomb in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Department of Defense had no further details on the attack.

"Even at that age, she didn't say she wanted to be president, she wanted to be the leader," Schulte said of his daughter, whom most knew as Roz. "She wanted to be in charge. And she was."

She was named after her maternal grandmother, Roslyn Littman, who along with her husband, Ellis, was killed in a fire in 1980 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Like the grandmother she never met, Lt. Schulte showed signs of being a natural leader early in life.

Robert Schulte remembers how his daughter as a young girl organized a group of her peers on the first day of summer camp to perform a play.
At John Burroughs School, she captained the lacrosse team and became an all-American lacrosse player.

Her parents said that while on the field, any time one of Boeing's F-15s flew overhead, she paused in admiration and spoke of how one day she would be a fighter pilot.

Family friends who gathered at the Schultes' home Wednesday remembered how some had questioned Roslyn Schulte about the idea of working in a group made up mostly of men.

"Do you think they are going to bully me?" she would defiantly respond.

She went to the Air Force Academy after graduating from high school in 2002. It was the perfect move to keep up with her only sibling, brother Todd Schulte, 28, who graduated from Harvard University and is now chief of staff to Rep. Scott Murphy, D-N.Y.

At the Air Force Academy, Roslyn Schulte majored in political science, interned for former Sen. Alan Allard, R-Colo., became a group commander — one of the academy's highest positions — and captained the lacrosse team, said her mother, Suzie Schulte.

Robert Schulte said: "She would call me and say, 'Dad, all these guys might fly the planes, but they follow me.' She was a leader."

Lt. Schulte graduated in 2006 and went into military intelligence instead of aviation. She went to Afghanistan in February.

Her parents said she worked with Afghan military officials teaching them how to gather and interpret intelligence.

"She knew how to talk to chiefs of staff, to generals, to privates, and they listened," Robert Schulte said. "And that's what we needed, a great leader of people." She was to return to the United States in August.

Robert Schulte said he had talked to his daughter less than 24 hours before learning of her death, updating her on the progress of the Burroughs' lacrosse team. Lately, she frequently spoke of her boyfriend — an Air Force pilot whom the Schultes had yet to meet.

He called and spoke to the Schultes Wednesday. "My little girl is gone," Robert Schulte told him.

The Schultes said funeral arrangements were pending.

COMMENTS ABOUT ROSLYN-

Lt. Schulte was the classiest young officer and young lady I had the privilege and great joy to work with in my 23 years in the Air Force. We fed off her energy, and she became a "go-to" type immediately upon her arrival at her first unit here in Hawaii. I could write a book full of nothing but great things to say about her. She was special. I pray God will comfort her family and loved ones through this tragedy.With utmost respect and love, MSgt Scotty Corwin, USAF, Retired
--------------------

The United States Air Force lost one of their most talented and respected officers. I have worked under Lieutenant Schulte several times while stationed in Hawaii, and I can honestly say that she was the best. Many young Lieutenants, like Schulte, are in a learning phase within their career - learning how to lead, and how to handle the pressures of the military.However, from the first time I met Schulte, I was amazed. While working with her, I can speak for several Airmen by saying that we all respected her, and would follow her anywhere. She commanded respect: although she was young, she was a brilliant leader - she handled pressure better than any other officer that I've worked with - and yet she was humble, and listened to those who she led.I hope that her family, friends, and loved ones can find comfort in knowing that Lieutenant Schulte was truly the best. Her passing is not only a loss to the Air Force, but to this country - a country that she so gallantly served for, and sacrificed her life for. I will never forget her - her leadership will live on forever.With my deepest sympathy, SrA Andrew Norton, USAF, Hawaii
-----------------------------------------

I met Roz on the first day she showed up to work in Hawaii. I was immediately impressed by her permanent smile and her positive attitude. This beautiful woman was taken too early and she will be missed always by all of us who had the pleasure of knowing her. She was one of the Air Force's finest and her loss is devastating. To the Schulte family, may you find comfort in knowing how adored and revered your daughter truly was. She was indeed a true leader and warrior. May God be with you all. My deepest heartfelt sympathy. Capt Alicia Meighan, USAF, Ft. Gordon, GA
---------------------

I just returned from Kabul, Afghanistan 2 weeks ago and had the privilege of working with Roz Shulte on a daily basis. She was a true professional that enjoyed the mission given to her, mentoring the Afghan National Army Intelligence personnel. Her enthusiastic, passionate and energetic attitude was contagious and she was always able to bring a smile to the faces of all her co-workers, even in the worst of times. She was a dynamic leader, outstanding role model, highly respected and also a friend. It was an honor to know her and my family's thoughts and prayers are with her family in this very difficult time. With my deepest sympathy and highest regards. William Briese, Hillsboro, Mo.

----------------------------------
[the above courtesy of the Living Legend Team, Soldiers' Angels]

And from CJ at YouServed:
God Speed 1LT. Roslyn L. Schulte

I’m posting with permission from the author. This story was on her Facebook page and I wanted to share it with all of you:

From my friend~a Navy Lt serving in Afghanistan:

Yesterday, my closest friend for the last couple months, Roslyn Schulte, was killed in a roadside bombing halfway between here and Bagram. She is one of the most incredible people I have ever known, and I want to tell you about her. I had only known her about three months, but she was assigned to my unit, and so, she and I being the only two junior officers in the group, she had the unfortunate pleasure of having to hangout with me. I can probably count on one hand the number of times we did not eat at least one meal of the day together since she arrived here in early March.

Ros was truly an exceptional person. Usually when you hear that about someone who just died, it’s almost always exaggeration, if not pure BS. With Ros, it’s not. She passed up on the Ivy leagues to go to the Air Force Academy...


Go over to YouServed here, and spend some time learning about another exceptional American.

Today, on this Memorial Day, and EVERY day, let us give thanks - and honour - that such heroes serve their country.