Sack Lunch

If ever I get the chance, I'm so going to do this.
J

The Sack Lunches
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assignedseat.
It was going to be a long flight.
'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.
Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start aconversation.
'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest tome.
'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq '
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch.
'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago ' His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill.
'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me.
'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'
Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'
'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked.
She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class.
'This is your thanks.' After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me.
'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.'
Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand.
With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.'
I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars.
'Itwill take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'
That is Honor, and there are why too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'

An Angel

I wanted to let you all know that this weekend, Jon Jon passed away. You may remember me putting a post up over the summer about dad shaving his head for St. Baldrick's. The money raised was for Jon Jon. If you'd like to learn more, please visit the site and read his mother's blog at
www.jonjonsjourney.com

May you rest in peace sweet little boy.

Surgical Update

Well, it's been a while since my last update and I went to the dr. last week so here goes.
I've specifically stayed away from the scale because I didn't want to know. They tell you not to obsess with numbers so I'm not. Well I've had some troubles lately so they were more in the forefront of my mind then my actual weight loss. When I eat / drink I get queasy. The P.A. I saw thinks the "opening" where the intestines now attach is just swollen. She gave me a script and as soon as IHA gets their hiney in gear and gets me my insurance card I can fill it. I'm experiencing the typical hair loss and am assured I won't go bald. That it's an all over loss. If I need a wig at least I can call Rose! LOL
The best news of all, I'm 70lbs down!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've always wanted to be this nurse

NEW YORK (AP) -- A 90-year-old who says she's the woman being kissed by a sailor in Times Square in one of World War II's most famous photographs reunited in town with the Navy on Sunday -- days before she is to serve as grand marshal of the city's Veterans Day parade.

Edith Shain of Los Angeles, donning a white nurse's uniform like the one she wore back in 1945, went to see the musical revival of "South Pacific" and posed for pictures, being hoisted off her feet on stage by five of the actors in their Navy whites.
On Tuesday, she'll ride in the parade at the head of a contingent of World War II veterans.
The "South Pacific" event was a touching reminder of history, but very different from August 15, 1945, the day Shain recalls that she joined thousands of people whooping it up after Japan surrendered. Right there on Broadway and 45th Street, a sailor suddenly grabbed and kissed her -- and the moment was caught by Alfred Eisenstaedt, a Life magazine photographer.
His picture from V-J Day became one of the 20th century's most iconic images. But Eisenstaedt didn't get the names of either party, and efforts years later by Life to identify them produced a number of claimants, says Bobbi Baker Burrows, a Life editor with deep knowledge of the subject.
About 1980, Shain recalls, she wrote a letter to Life, identifying herself as the woman in the nurse's uniform. Eisenstaedt wrote back and later visited her in California and gave her a copy of the photo. But Eisenstaedt, who died in 1995, was never sure that Shain was the woman in the photo, Burrows said.
Because of renewed interest in the subject, she recalled, "Life decided to run an article saying, `If you are the sailor or the nurse in the picture, please step forward."'
"We received claims from a few nurses and dozens of sailors, but we could never prove that any of them were the actual people, and Eisenstaedt himself just said he didn't know," she said.
Even the fact that Shain stands only 4 feet 9 isn't helpful in analyzing the photo, in which the sailor has her in what looks more like a death grip than an embrace, with both of their faces obscured.
By her own account, Shain said she could not identify the bussing boy in blue.
"I went from Doctors Hospital to Times Square that day because the war was over, and where else does a New Yorker go?" she said. "And this guy grabbed me and we kissed, and then I turned one way and he turned the other. There was no way to know who he was, but I didn't mind because he was someone who had fought for me."At least three veterans still lay claim to being the kissing sailor, and at least one other woman has claimed to be the nurse. But Shain, who left nursing to become a kindergarten teacher in Los Angeles for 30 years, appears to hold the edge -- by virtue of persistence, an effervescent charm and unabashed patriotism.
"As for the picture," she says, "it says so many things -- hope, love, peace and tomorrow. The end of the war was a wonderful experience, and that photo represents all those feelings."

I love these stories

BANGOR, Maine (CNN) -- Karen Walker has shaken half a million hands in the last few years -- at least that's her best guess.

Korean War veteran Don Guptill greets a returning soldier at Bangor International Airport in Maine.

She and the other 40 or so members of the Maine Troop Greeters have made it their mission to welcome every incoming and outbound flight of soldiers and Marines who use Bangor International Airport as a refueling stop.
No matter what time of day or night, there will always be applause, handshakes and hugs to make the troops feel appreciated.
The goal is clear: "Greet the troops, and thank them for what they do," says Korean War veteran Don Guptill.
Guptill says he remembers coming home from that conflict and receiving no welcome at all.
Guptill and other veterans, including those who served in Vietnam and World War II, were determined not to let that happen again.
For those heading to Iraq or Afghanistan, the recognition is noticed and greatly appreciated, troops say.
"It makes me feel good," said one soldier headed out on his first deployment. "I'm a little nervous," he continued, adding that the warm greeting helped ease his nerves.
Another soldier, firmly shaking the hands in line, said, "This is fantastic. These people are wonderful for coming down."
The group of volunteers first started during the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and continued following the invasion of Iraq in 2003. As of October, the group has seen off 3,598 flights, 727,292 troops and 135 military dogs, according to the greeters.
Besides the support of the receiving line, troops also are offered snacks and the use of a cell phone to call their loved ones, free of charge.
"All they do is put an ID card down and pick up a phone," says Bill Knight, who stands behind a counter giving out the phones. Cell phone carriers donate the minutes.
The airport donates the room where Knight works. Once a duty-free shop, it's now decorated with flags, unit patches, pins, photos and other items given to the Maine Troop Greeters as a show of appreciation from the many units that have passed through the airport.
While the firm grips of so many soldiers sometimes can make the greeters' hands a little sore, the volunteers get used to the strong handshakes.
"They used to [cause tenderness]," Walker says, "but not anymore."
When a handshake won't do, some military men and women will reach out and just hug the person who came by to welcome them home.
Meeting the troops also tugs at the emotions of the greeters. "It's a good feeling," Guptill says. "Some days it's a tear-jerker."
After about an hour and a half on the ground, it's time for an outbound flight to take off and head to a war zone.
The greeters line up again to wish the soldiers well as they head up the ramp to the plane, thanking them for their service.
Guptill says if the war ended tomorrow it would be fine with them, but adds, "We'll do this until this thing ends."

Polish Sausage

Everyone is in a hurry to scream 'racism' these days!

In what aisle could I find the Polish sausage?'
The clerk looks at him and says, 'Are you Polish?'
The guy (clearly offended) says, 'Well, yes I am. But let me ask you something. If I had asked for Italian sausage, would you ask me if I was Italian? Or if I had asked for German Bratwurst, would you ask me if I was German? Or if I asked for a kosher hot dog, would you ask me if I was Jewish? Or if I had asked for a Taco, would you ask if I was Mexican?' 'If I asked for some Irish whiskey, would you ask if I was Irish?'
The clerk says, 'Well, no, I probably wouldn't!'
With deep self-righteous indignation, the guy says, 'Well then, why did you ask me if I'm Polish because I asked for Polish sausage?'
The clerk replied, 'Because you're in Home Depot.'*