I realize that all of us are having a rough time with what is going on right now in Iraq, but my heart is with the troops that are over there doing a job. Please read this and share with other people. Danny A California mother whose son is right now in Kuwait poised to knock Saddam's block off, wrote her son asking how he would feel if she joined other relatives of service members in an anti-war demonstration in Hollywood last month. After reading her son's response, she elected notto participate. Dear Mom: It's really your decision to march if you want to or not. You are the one who has to decide if what we are doing out here is right or not. My opinion is not yours. I do, however, have things I would like for you and Grandma and everyone else at home to know. I am a United States soldier. I was sworn to defend my country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. People may not agree with the things we are ordered to do. I would like to address those people by telling them that terrorism is not only a threat to us as Americans, but to many other innocent people in the world. What type of country would we be if we didn't defend the rights and freedoms of others, not because they're Americans, but how about just because they're human? We live in a country where people feel secure with their daily lives. They do business like usual and don't worry about the thought of terrorism actually happening to them. The people of 9-11 thought the same thing. We now know that it can happen to anyone at any time. Yet as Americans we're afraid of losing our soldiers to defend our security. I can only speak for myself when I say that my life is an easy expense to ensure that my family and friends can live in peace. I strongly believe in what we are doing and wish you were here to see for yourselves the honor and privilege that American soldiers aboard this ship are feeling, knowing that we are going to be a part of something so strong and so meaningful to the safety of our loved ones. Then you would know what this potential war is about. We will stand tall in front of terrorism and defeat it. We as soldiers are not afraid of what may happen. We are only afraid of Americans not being able to understand why we are here. I ask for your courage as Americans to be strong for us; I ask for your understanding in what we believe is right. I ask for your support in what we are sworn to do: defend our country and the life of all. We will succeed in our task and will end the threat of terrorism in our back yard. We will also end the threat of terrorism in our neighbors'. We have to remind ourselves of what this country stands for: life, liberty and justice for all. In order to maintain those rights we have to stop the threat of terrorism. I am proud to be here. I will be coming home, but not until I know that it's going to be safe for all Americans and for everyone I love. My family is first. My country is where they live. I will defend it. Lonnie J. Lewis Navy corpsman C Co. 1/4 WPN PLT UIC 39726 FPO AP 966139726 P.S. Mom, please send this to everyone who has a hard time understanding why we are here. Ask the paper to put what I've said in a column so that others will know why we are here and what we are here for. I love you all and will be home soon. I left my address so that if anyone feels like writing to let me know how they feel, they can. ======================================================= Clarksburg WV <A HREF="mailto:dmjenkins@iolinc.net">dmjenkins110@wmconnect.com</A> ---------------------- God Bless America - Bless God America <A HREF="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jenkinsconnections/">http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jenkinsconnections/</A>

Danny, Thanks. Sometimes we do need to share things besides genealogy. We are in this together like it or not. I feel like I should share this also. This could have been one of our ancestors! Ethel The Rusty Gun A protest raged on a courthouse lawn, Round a makeshift stage they charged on, Fifteen hundred or more they say, Had come to burn a Flag that day. A boy held up the folded Flag, Cursed it, and called it a dirty rag. An OLD MAN pushed through the angry crowd, With a rusty shotgun shouldered proud. His uniform jacket was old and tight, He had polished each button, shiny and bright. He crossed that stage with a soldier's grace, Until he and the boy stood face to face. FREEDOM OF SPEECH; the OLD MAN said, Is worth dying for, good men are dead, So you can stand on this courthouse lawn, And talk us down from dusk to dawn, But before any Flag gets burned today, This OLD MAN IS GOING TO HAVE HIS SAY!! My father died on a foreign shore, In a war they said would end all war. But Tommy and I wasn't even full grown, Before we fought in a war of our own. And Tommy died on Iwo Jima's beach, In the shadow of a hill he couldn't quite reach Where five good men raised this Flag so high, That the WHOLE DAMN WORLD COULD SEE IT FLY. I got this bum leg that I still drag, Fighting for this same old Flag. Now there's but one shot in this old gun, So now it's time to decide which one, Which one of you will follow our lead, To stand and die for what you believe? For as sure as there is a rising sun, You'll burn in Hell 'fore this Flag burns, son. Now this riot never came to pass. The crowd got quiet and that can of gas, Got set aside as they walked away To talk about what they had heard this day. And the boy who had called it a dirty rag, Handed the OLD SOLDIER the folded Flag. So the battle of the Flag this day was won By a tired OLD SOLDIER with a rusty gun, Who for one last time, had to show to some, THIS FLAG MAY FADE, BUT THESE COLORS DON'T RUN. Author Unknown

Watch out for mr. don't know where the DELETE KEY IS! He will get you! John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ethel Swiger" <eswiger@dne.edu> To: <HCGS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 12:15 PM Subject: Re: [HCGS] Not genealogy > Danny, Thanks. Sometimes we do need to share things besides genealogy. > We are in this together like it or not. > > I feel like I should share this also. This could have been one of our > ancestors! Ethel > > The Rusty Gun > > A protest raged on a courthouse lawn, > Round a makeshift stage they charged on, > Fifteen hundred or more they say, > Had come to burn a Flag that day. > > A boy held up the folded Flag, > Cursed it, and called it a dirty rag. > > An OLD MAN pushed through the angry crowd, > With a rusty shotgun shouldered proud. > His uniform jacket was old and tight, > He had polished each button, shiny and bright. > > He crossed that stage with a soldier's grace, > Until he and the boy stood face to face. > > FREEDOM OF SPEECH; the OLD MAN said, > Is worth dying for, good men are dead, > So you can stand on this courthouse lawn, > And talk us down from dusk to dawn, > > But before any Flag gets burned today, > This OLD MAN IS GOING TO HAVE HIS SAY!! > > My father died on a foreign shore, > In a war they said would end all war. > > But Tommy and I wasn't even full grown, > Before we fought in a war of our own. > And Tommy died on Iwo Jima's beach, > In the shadow of a hill he couldn't quite reach > Where five good men raised this Flag so high, > That the WHOLE DAMN WORLD COULD SEE IT FLY. > > I got this bum leg that I still drag, > Fighting for this same old Flag. > > Now there's but one shot in this old gun, > So now it's time to decide which one, > Which one of you will follow our lead, > To stand and die for what you believe? > > For as sure as there is a rising sun, > You'll burn in Hell 'fore this Flag burns, son. > > Now this riot never came to pass. > The crowd got quiet and that can of gas, > Got set aside as they walked away > To talk about what they had heard this day. > > And the boy who had called it a dirty rag, > Handed the OLD SOLDIER the folded Flag. > > So the battle of the Flag this day was won > By a tired OLD SOLDIER with a rusty gun, > Who for one last time, had to show to some, > THIS FLAG MAY FADE, BUT THESE COLORS DON'T RUN. > > Author Unknown > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >