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ROLLING THUNDER CHAPTER 8 MEDINA, OH 44256

 

      Mother Goose Report For  January 2012 Becky Blackmore, President

 

 

 

 

Mother Goose's Corner

 

Hello Everyone,

 

 

 Our efforts to send a little bit of home and love to our troops in Afghanistan, is working out well. I will attach some of my correspondence with 1st Sgt Burger. Sgt Artiaga our contact here in Medina sent me a list of three units that do not have a PX on base (like a Drug Mart). Then just two days later I learned that Brunswick VFW had a ton of items that Brunswick High School students had collected but no addresses to send to so now 6 huge boxes are on their way to the 3 units. Also the unit we are sending packages to there are 10 soldiers that do not receive mail of any kind. I have hooked them up with Life Care Center of Medina it will not only be great for the troops but also for the residents of Life Care.

 

 Be sure to check out the list of items that our unit would like to have, I have added a few other suggestions. There had been some question on what the shower curtains are used for, me of course thought for a shower. The actual use is for walls as you will read in 1st Sgt Burger’s letter. Cindy Peters came up with the idea of a yellow duck shower curtain Dave Blackmore suggested snowmen or snow scenes plastic is still the best as the solid colors and solid color backgrounds give some semblance of privacy. This could get fun

 

 Our Christmas party was a hit with our guest they all seemed to have a great time. Thank you to TJ for shopping and preparing the bags for the guest. Dave Peters and Ray Luttner did an outstanding job on the spaghetti dinner. Gloria Richards worked her magic and came up with a 3 piece ensemble to play Christmas Carols during dinner. Thank you to everyone that baked, set up, cleaned up, served and took inventory. We had a very good turnout of membership which makes it so much easier to do a function of this nature and size with this kind of great participation. We had some leftover deserts and salads which Kathy and Bob Dunlap took to the battered Women’s shelter for us.

 

 Wreaths Across America went real well again this year. When you looked back after we finished laying the wreaths you could tell that we did have a lot more wreaths this year. Instead of just the first row of each section being completely covered most of the second rows were to. We made sure that Sgt Sam Hewitt had a wreath. For those who don’t know, Sam was returned after being MIA for 44 years last November 2010. During the program at the Main Flag pole Rolling Thunder, Inc was given the honor of laying the POW wreath. Chapters 2 & 8 met at the POW flag pole prior to the main program where a special wreath was placed for those who are still MIA.

 

 We now have our new Director at the National Cemetery to some of us an old friend Sean Baumgartner. He was the Director when we had our first POW program in 2002. He enjoyed working with other Rolling Thunder chapters but he said none of them could hold a candle to us. Sean and his wife Sharon had joined the Iowa chapter but had to drop out because they moved to far from the chapter they are now looking forward to becoming new and active members of our chapter.

 

 We are still in need of someone to manage the Chili Cook Off in March which is just around the corner. These events that we do each year pretty much everyone knows what needs to be done we just need one or two people to take on the leadership position of making sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed.

 

 Don’t forget that dues need to be in by the February meeting so bring your dues to the January meeting or get Gloria Richards address to mail it in. If you joined the chapter in; September, October, November or December 2011 your dues are good until next January(2013).

 

 Remember when you get on your bike even just to go for a short ride put your vest on. This is good advertising for us and other chapters. I am sure someone has already figured out when the first likely day to ride will be in 2012.

 

 If you haven’t filled out your volunteer form for the VA please complete it. Ed Staats is our VA rep. Ed has informed me that he has a lot of the chapter already in the computer and our hours for Wade Park logged. Just in the half of year he has been tracking our hours he has over 300 hours for us.
 

A letter to Mother Goose (G.)
 

Mother G.


Do you remember me talking to you not long ago about how amazed I have been over the last year about how many young (grade school/ middle school) children are thanking me and other Veterans for our service?

 

Today Ed Staats and I went for a ride. We stopped at a McDonalds for coffee. When we finished and were walking out a young lady, 8 or 9 got out of the booth she was in with her father and sister stopped us put out her hand and thanked us for our service and her rights and liberties. I gave her my standard answer “It was an honor” and thanked her for thinking of us.

 

Ed and I sat on our bikes for a few minutes discussing it and how it is not my Son’s generation, also I assume her father’s not so much the 20 to 30 year old generation, but hers. Here are these quite young children with such insight as to recognize where there liberties came from and why they endure. I told Ed I had to know why and this was an opportunity presenting itself.

 

I went back in and asker her Father if I might talk to her. With his permission I asked her how it is that she is so aware. Her answer shocked me. There are programs that the children watch where the Emcee closes the program with “the next time you see a Soldier, or a Veteran make a point to thank them for all your freedoms. Without there sacrifices you would most likely have none.”

 

She then said that they discuss this in school among themselves and some of their teachers join in on the discussions going over all the freedoms that they do have and how different their lives would be if not for those freedoms. I was so moved by her sincerity I took my second last chapter pin off my vest and with her father’s permission pinned it on her and thanked her again. She started to cry. When I asked her why she asked she questioned “you were in Vietnam?” Yes “after all that and a Country that didn’t want you, you still care and serve don’t you?’ I choked out “We all do” and turned to leave with tears welling up in my eyes.


Ed turned to me and asked if I got my answer. “Did I’! As we were pulling out she walked out with her sister and father, waved to us, held out the pin and shouted “thank you” loud enough so we could hear it over the bikes.


She renewed my faith. There is hope for this Country. Unfortunately it’s about ten years away.
Joe

 

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Attended Sgt. Dennis Kancler, USMC Funeral mass this morning at St. Basil's church in Brecksville, OH. Yes, I had tears.
Beautiful service, fantastic family and 2200 patriots attended. His Mother commended "her Marines" in attendance and had pity
on those in government who won't let our guys WIN the war with Islam...her words. "I thank the Marine Corps for allowing my son to be one of a few good men," she said. Here's a poem they handed out at Mass; pass it on.

 

Navyman Norm

THANKS TO THE AMERICAN WARRIORS

 

From the colonists, who rebelled,
to the soldier of today,
My thanks, be to you,
I know not what else to say.
Since the words I do not have,
to give the tribute that is due,
So a simple heartfelt thanks,
sincerely I give to you.
Thanks to our American heroes,
whose devotion is second to none,
Whose courage and braveness alone
caused manly battles to be won.
We have beaten the forces of evil
and carried our flag far and wide,
Because of our American Warriors,
our hearts are filled with pride.
Only because of you and at the price
you willingly did pay,
Only because of you,
Old Glory still flies today!
Author Unknown

 

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