|
![]() |
#226 | |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
Quote:
![]() |
|
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#227 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
|
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#228 |
pie is never free
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: the drivers seat
|
I for one, hope we pull everyone out of there ASAP... thats the best way to help them.
Its a lost cause, that place, its not a real country just a spot on the map, they dont even like or trust the people in the next valley over... its NEVER going to be a real, stable nation... just a giant, endless suckhole to throw our blood & money into. We secured our revenge for 9/11... lets get the hell out of there. |
Posts: 93,419
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#229 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
hey guys, this is a politics/religion free thread. It's all about honoring Joe/Jane Soldier for their service and sacrifice.
|
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#230 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
Welcome Home Iraq veterans parade in downtown St. Louis tommorrow.
http://www.bnd.com/2012/01/26/203331...-louis-to.html If you are in the area get out there and show the love. |
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#231 | |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
Quote:
|
|
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#232 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
ST. LOUIS • A downtown parade to honor Iraq war veterans stepped off at noon today at Kiener Plaza. Thousands of people lined the parade route on Market Street, cheering, waving American flags and holding signs "Welcome Home." Christine Willey of Webster Groves was one of those along the parade route. Her nephew served in Afghanistan and was wounded in Iraq when his Humvee was hit by an explosive. "I think he would appreciate it a lot," she said of the parade. Her nephew, of Wentzville, who suffered brain injuries, was unable to attend the parade. Tom Appelbaum, one of the parade organizers, said the parade "pretty much matches what I would have expected." He said he was "feeling great." The parade follows a vigil which began Friday at 9:11 p.m. at Soldier's Memorial in downtown. Volunteers read the names of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen who have died in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales and St. Louis police and fire departments are joining 83 floats in the parade. Mayflower, which donated $7,500 to the parade effort, is collecting items for homeless veterans in a storage container at 13th and Market streets. They are asking for sleeping bags, blankets, non-perishable food items, and winter coats. the organizers, Appelbaum and Craig Schneider, said St. Louis is the first major city to welcome troops home from Iraq since the war officially ended on Dec. 15. Inside Union Station until 5 p.m., organizers are offering a "resource village," where veterans can connect with service providers such as the Red Cross or Department of Veterans Affairs. Live music is planned from 3 to 8 p.m. ![]() Marine Sgt. Alex Renner, 22,(right) from Red Bud, Ill. shakes hands with well wishers during a parade to welcome home Iraq war veterans along Market Street in St. Louis on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. "I feel good because they have our back" said Renner about the reception he received from the crowd. Renner served one tour in Iraq from 2008-2009. |
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#233 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
From USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...4/1?csp=34news ST. LOUIS (AP)–Thousands of people have turned out in St. Louis for the nation's first big parade welcoming home Iraq War veterans. But the biggest cheers clearly were for the veterans themselves. The crowd wildly cheered as groups walked by, and some veterans wiped away tears as they acknowledged the support. People in the crowd waved American flags and held signs reading, "Welcome Home" and "God Bless Our Troops." Fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted three huge American flags along the route. Two St. Louis men launched a grass-roots effort to hold the parade after noticing there'd been no large public celebrations to welcome troops home. |
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#234 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
![]() ![]() ST. LOUIS• Thousands of people waved U.S. flags and shouted "thank you" Saturday during a downtown parade to welcome home Iraq war veterans. Many spectators wore layers of jackets and huddled under blankets on the cold, sunny day as they cheered on veterans of recent U.S. wars in the first parade of its kind in a major U.S. city "It makes me proud to be an American," said Trisha Thompson, a member of the Army Reserves who served in Iraq in 2005 and 2006, after watching the parade finish near Union Station. "Even during hard times, there's still a spirit of unity." Thompson and her husband, James Pena, also an Iraq veteran, watched with their 6-month-old son, Schuyler, well-covered in his stroller with blankets and a camouflage fleece hat. They both choked back tears as they explained how it felt to see so many people gathered in their honor. "People have come to realize that you can definitely support the troops even if you don't support the war," Thompson said. Army Lt. Col. Mike Fayette, who participated in the parade, approached co-organizer Craig Schneider afterward to thank him. "When prosperous families, individuals and businesses step up to honor us, it makes what I do feel more relevant," said Fayette, who will retire next month after 30 years of service. Fayette, who recently moved to Columbia, Mo., was injured by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2005. He remained there until 2006, when he returned to work at the Pentagon. "I was overwhelmed by the genuineness of their support," he said of the crowd. "This (parade) showed that things get accomplished when you have a sense of urgency," said Tom Appelbaum, a lawyer from Creve Coeur and one of the parade organizers. "Now we're gonna take this on the road." He and Schneider, a technology coordinator for the St. Charles School District, dreamed up the parade over dinner in December. They started a Facebook group, which quickly grew to more than 5,000 members, and used social media and word-of-mouth to drum up support for the plan. Now they hope to start a fundraising campaign called the "Welcome Home the Heroes Challenge." They want to raise $7 million by next Sunday, the day of the Super Bowl. Their motto for the parade and the fundraising effort was displayed on the T-shirts they wore on Saturday: "Don't tell us it's impossible." The money will be split between The Mission Continues, a St. Louis-based nonprofit group that connects veterans with volunteer opportunities and helped coordinate the parade, and the Welcome Home Foundation, a group Appelbaum and Schneider created to distribute funds to veterans organizations. Not all of the families in the parade were welcoming loved ones home. Susan and Jim Jacobs of Ballwin marched with about 10 Gold Star families, who have lost relatives in the line of duty.\ Their son, Sgt. Zachary Fisher, was killed July 14, 2010, when an improvised explosive device detonated next to his convoy in the Zabul province in Afghanistan. He had previously served nine months in Iraq. "Zachary would have been very proud to see his community come out and support the troops," his mother said, tears in her eyes. Susan Jacobs held tight to a picture of her son, who was 24 when he died. She said it was "bittersweet" to be at an event welcoming home other people's children when her son will never be among them. But she said Zachary would have wanted her and her husband to be there. "Some of these young men and women get to come home, and some of them don't," she said. "Our community needs to know both sides." Thompson and Pena, the young Iraq veterans, disagree over whether they want their 6-month-old son to serve in the military. Pena said he doesn't want to worry about whether his son will come home. But Thompson said Schuyler should serve if he wants. Military service gave her a pride that she wouldn't feel otherwise, she said. "The most proud I feel is when people come up to me when I'm in my uniform." Thompson said. Just then, a young girl in a pink coat walked over and handed her a homemade sign. It read: "Welcome Home Soldiers, love Payton Marie." "Thank you," Thompson said, her voice wavering. |
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#235 | |
..........
Join Date: Dec 2006
|
Quote:
|
|
Posts: 28,337
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#236 | |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
Quote:
![]() |
|
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#237 | |
..........
Join Date: Dec 2006
|
Quote:
|
|
Posts: 28,337
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#238 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
I've been in Florida for about 20 months now. I came back to St. Louis last year to watch a game last year. Probably not this year. Going to go on a couple of trips to watch Cardinals spring traning games. They are here in St. Pete abotu 5 mintues from my house for a series this year. Also thinking about going to Miami to watch some games and have some fun on South Beach.
|
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#239 | |
..........
Join Date: Dec 2006
|
Quote:
That's right, I though I remembered something about florida for the DOD job thingy. Well, certainly look me up when you come back through. Conversely my Dad spends his winters on the West side of the Panhandle, if we make it that way in the next few weeks, I'll let you know. |
|
Posts: 28,337
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#240 |
Has a particular set of skills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: On the water
|
A thank you card for the planet from the troops over in the sandbox.
![]() ![]() |
Posts: 79,689
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() |
|
|