The Final Inspection

Received this in an e-mail. I thought that I would share it.

THE FINAL INSPECTION


The Marine stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, Marine,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?"

The Marine squared his shoulders and said,

"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the Marine waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, Marine,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

Men of Honor

Staat, Tillman's ASU teammate, joins Marines

NFL.com wire reports SAN DIEGO (March 13, 2006) -- A former college teammate of Pat Tillman is following in his footsteps, leaving a career in professional football to join the military. Jeremy Staat was an 11-game starter for the Steelers in 1999. Pfc. Jeremy Staat, a former defensive lineman who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the St. Louis Rams, graduated from the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot on March 10. Enlisting "is probably one of the best decisions I've made in my life," said Staat, 29. Tillman, who played defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals, was killed by friendly fire near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in April 2004. Staat said he was felt compelled to join the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks but Tillman, who was his roommate at Arizona State, advised him to stay with professional football until he qualified for retirement benefits. "He told me, 'You're a good player, you need to get good play.' Then four months later, at his wedding, I learn he's going to the Army," Staat said. Tillman's death gave him "more motivation" to enlist, Staat said. Tillman gave up a $1.2 million pro football contract to join the Army Rangers.

In the Warrior Tradition

Father and son, Marvin and Dustin Weatherwax, of the Blackfeet Tribe were both honored by the Blackfeet Tribal Veterans. Both men have been Rangers. They have honored the Blackfeet and the United States. I am aware that Native Americans have served in large numbers in every conflict. But, I was still impressed with the statement that there are currently about 100 Blackfeet Tribal members currently serving in the military. They are to be admired and honored by all Americans.

Airborne Rangers Dustin and Marvin Weatherwax honored.
By John McGill, Glacier Reporter Editor
Wednesday, March 8, 2006 6:21 PM MST

Both were Airborne Rangers with the U.S. Army and both were stationed at Ft. Benning, Ga. Dustin Weatherwax, at home on leave before returning to Ft. Benning, and his father Marvin Weatherwax were honored Monday, March 6, at Blackfeet Tribal Headquarters.

The elder Weatherwax noted the difficulty of making Ranger in the Army. “There were 106 in my class, and only 11 completed the training,” said Marvin. “In Dustin's class there were 86 that started, but only six completed the training.”

The Rest of the Story

Governor praises student who taped criticism of Bush

	Gov. Bill Owens: "This is a high school. You assume that many of these students are fairly naive when it comes to public policy, and they deserve to have both sides pres- ented." (AP)

Gov. Owens, of Colorado said that he was surprised at the backlash against a student, who taped the liberal trash his geography teacher was presenting.

I'm not the least surprised. There is only the liberal point of view. It, after all is correct. Anything else is wrong. So, what the student has to be terribly wrong and he should be driven from proper society. The Governor said it best himself:

For his part, Owens said Bennish should have presented both sides of the
argument on Bush's policies.

"I'll bet that you don't have Mr. Bennish balancing later in the day talking about the good things that the United States is doing in Iraq, discussing why George Bush is not similar to Adolf Hitler," the governor said. "I'll bet there just aren't any tapes from any student of Mr. Bennish giving that other side."

The Rest of the Story

"I shall never surrender or retreat."

"To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world...I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid with all dispatch. ...VICTORY OR DEATH."

These words were written Feb.24, 1836, by William Barrett Travis, in a famous letter, requesting reinforcements for the besieged Alamo. The reinforcements never arrived and the Alamo fell on March 6, 1836, 170 years ago today. The handful of survivors, except for women, children and Joe, Col. Travis' slave, were put to death at the order of Generalissimo Antonio López de Santa Anna Pérez de Lebrón.

The Alamo, has been a symbol of "the American character" that Col. Travis referred to, ever since.

Many liberals like to mock or make fun of Texans. Let them. They will never have, nor understand, the qualities of the Alamo's defenders.

Texas is the only State in the United States to have been it's own nation. It has produced Presidents and heroes. It has "American character." Texans never "surrender or retreat".

I am not a Texan by birth. As the expression goes, I got here as quick as I could.

From the Alamo website:

On February 23, 1836, the arrival of General Antonio López de Santa Anna's army outside San Antonio nearly caught them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texians and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. The defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo sent forth couriers carrying pleas for help to communities in Texas. On the eighth day of the siege, a band of 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. Legend holds that with the possibility of additional help fading, Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over — all except one did. As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Anna. Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, famed frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee.

The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo's walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned a captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sunrise, the battle had ended and Santa Anna entered the Alamo compound to survey the scene of his victory.

While the facts surrounding the siege of the Alamo continue to be debated, there is no doubt about what the battle has come to symbolize. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds — a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty.

Dear Soldier

Dear Soldier

By Angie Falzarano

We asked for a few good men,

We asked for a few good women,

And we got you.

When freedoms were threatened...

You stood to the challenge.

When hope was lost...

You gave your strength.

When lives were at stake...

You sacrificed yours.

In the darkest of days...

Your light shined the way.

So with a tear in our eye,

And pride in our heart,

We want to thank you

For all that you do.

An E-mail Between Friends.

A very good friend sent me an e-mail the other day. He was asking for advice. I thought about how I should answer it and after writing my response to him, I though that maybe I should share that advice. By all means, if you follow my advice, please keep in mind who is giving it. I have left his name off of the e-mail to protect his privacy.

.

Barry

I read your blog with some regularity. I can imagine how much time you put into it. Thank You, from myself, my wife, and my and sons. I believe God is working through you, Barry, and I know he will bless you for your efforts.

Please tell me what I can do to help. You, your Son and all of the troops are in my prayers, but other than that (and mandatory weekly federal income tax deductions), I'm basically doing nothing to support our mission in the Middle East, and I'm very ashamed of that.

Please, give me some idea of where to start. Whatever comes to your mind first is what I need to do.

M.

----------------------

M.

I trust that God knows what he is doing. But, are you sure that he is working through me?

You may be right, though. I hope that you are. I may average 40 or so visitors a day. That seems pretty humble. But, if I can count you and God among them, then, I am pleased.

But, the way I look at is, that if I only ever have one visitor and that visitor is a soldier, then I will have been a success. I just want that one soldier to know that I and others support him and his comrades.

I had been sending jokes and amusing pictures to four soldiers. One was an Air Force Security Sgt., one was a Marine captain, one was a National Guard Lt. and the fourth was a National Guard Sgt. They are all home now. I will have to find others to correspond with.

Where I will look, is where you should look. I'll suggest to you that you go to Soldiers Angels. There you will find at the top of the right side bar, Adopt-a-Soldier. You can send letters or whatever you feel that you can do. I can tell you, that the guys I was e-mailing seemed grateful that someone would take the time to think about them. The Sgt. e-mailed me to ask if I would send the same things to his buddy, that I had been sending to him. I told him that I would be delighted to. The buddy turned out to be the NG Lt.

I spend a great deal of time on my blog for 40 visitors a day. As you know, I am computer illiterate. So, many things have been difficult or frustrating. But, I never gave up and I will never quit. I'll feel that I will let that 'one soldier' down, should I give up, because, it is too hard or too time consuming.

How could what I do, be any harder than riding in a Humvee through the streets of Iraq?

The other day, I had to pat down a soldier who had been injured by an IED. He and all of the others, that I have had to search, have said, "Thank you, sir." It should be, and is, the other way around. I thank them.

Barry