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
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
