Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Be Thankful - There's A Lot To Be Thankful For!

There are a lot of things that I'm thankful for this year. 

Among the things that I'm thankful for is that my Mom's health is good as can be expected for 77 years old.  It is great to see my Mom so active and surrounded by a great group of friends. 

She enjoys the card games, the bunko games, the lunches, the time together, it is a a great thing to see her happy.  She deserves it. 

Life is not always fair, and my mom paid her dues in many ways.  It's nice to see that my grandfather was right when he said, "God doesn't sleep. He takes care those who have earned it - either way." 

My mom has earned a good life. And yes, I'm thankful that now she's living the life she was denied for so long.  No one should be denied being happy. 

My wife is a good woman. I met her right after my divorce and she has been both friend and wonderful companion ever since.  I didn't know how she would like living out here in the so-called "boonies."  Yes, Glencoe is considered the Boonies by many - even out here.

Glencoe is definitely the country, but it's also the mountains - and yes, some say we are the "back woods" or the "back country."  Our population hasn't changed much in years, in fact we keep being threatened with loosing our Post Office because our population is so small.   And coming from the Bay Area, my wife has had to make adjustments.

I'm thankful that she has.  Like a fish taking to water, like a horse to hay, like a country-girl waiting to be shown a place of her own, she is happy out here.

My grandfather once told me that a man was more than just someone who could drink and fight.  He said a man is someone who can take care of his responsibilities before himself, and that caring that his family was well cared for was really the true test of being a man.  So yes, no kidding, I'm very thankful that she is happy here.

I'm thankful that my In-Laws are great people, and yes, I thank God that we get along so well.  It is the truth that I actually start missing them right after they leave for home after visiting for a weekend.  They like it up here, the quiet appeals to them, the freedom and space, I know it feels like their private Bed and Breakfast.

Where my father-in-law comes up and has to unwind some when he first gets here, that's not the way it is for my mother-in-law.  He's a good guy and friend, a shooter, a smart man, knows more than most mechanical engineers that I've known, and he definitely has a sense of humor that can be over the top sometimes -  but then again, can't we all.  Yes, he is a good guy. 

My mother-in-law takes in the mountains as if she were born in them.  It might me her Kentucky heritage, American Indian blood, her all American "We can do it" attitude, he closeness to her daughter that makes her at home here.  And yes my friends, having family feel at home in my home is a big deal to me.  I'm thankful that that is the way things are around here.

I've been here in Glencoe over a decade now, and it's only been in the last 2 years that I've gotten to know more of the folks around these parts.  Mostly its due to my volunteering at the American Legion, and yes being volunteered for a position within the post has made a big difference to how busy I am with the post.

I'm thankful for so much these days.  Sure this year I've had another concussion from another fall from a horse, screwed up my neck and shoulder after Murphy whacked me a good one, and of course a week ago I just about broke my leg. 

But really, I'm still thankful.  I have friends like Curtis Janto who asked me to a part of his wedding.  I was shocked that he'd want to old codger in his wedding party, after all, he is old enough to be my son.  But I was part6 of their beautiful day, and I feel blessed to have been a part of it. 

I talked with Curtis a few days ago, we laughed about this and that - but I can tell he is now taking his new role as husband in the right way.  He is a good man, and his dad Mike has all the reasons in the world to be proud of him. 

Curtis has the ability to right himself when things are not going in a positive manner.  That in itself takes a real talent to do.  It is done by first letting go of what is throwing you off center and grabbing onto what you need to right yourself.  Identifying which is which is part of the trick.  Saying to yourself that you were wrong about something and making changes to get on the correct path can be difficult.  Most times egos get in the way, but seeing the harm that might take place if you don't make things right - that can motivate you into action. 

Obama has none of these abilities, but thank God that Curtis does.  Curtis can see what he needs that to do to get ahead, and that will make him a good provider and husband.  He will always be a great son and friend, and yes I'm thankful for that.

Then there's Larry Bruns and Steve Duman.  They put up with my crazy ideas at the post.  And yes, I'm very thankful that we got the post painted and have we've now started on the kitchen.  It is amazing to think what can be done with the right eye and attitude. 

Those who see what needs to be done, and have the attitude that they themselves can do it, even alone if have to, they get things done.  That attitude is always a magnet to those like minded people who have the same desire.  And yes, I'm very thankful that Larry and Steve are like minded great friends. 

As Second Vice Commander of our post, I'm in charge of the bar and the kitchen - and volunteers make it go. So yes, I'm very thankful that Chris stepped forward to help. He really is my saving grace around there.

Talking about Steve Duman, he showed up on my property this morning.  He said he knew that I've bummed up my leg and that I might need some help.  He knew that I've needed some help to get my barn squared away.  Today, with his help, we did just that and everything looks great.  I couldn't thank him enough. 

I told him so and Steve simply said, "that's what friends do for friends!"  Hes' right, and I'm thankful for his friendship.  He is one great guy!

I find solace in seeing that our little piece of the world up here is fairly squared away.  Most folks up here work to keep it that way.  Sure some call us "Hicks" - but so what!  Heck, I've been called a lot worse than that - even lately as a matter of fact. 

Yes, even our small American Legion post has its problems.  Minor usually, nothing big really. Lately it's with a fouled mouth individual who has pushed the envelope for a long time now. 

He is around 65, and surprisingly he still hasn't learned the real facts about swearing.  Fact is that I'm sort of shocked that he has never learned that foul language and swearing up a storm loses its shock value after you use it more than once or twice.   And really, people really stop paying attention to what you're saying - and really start paying more attention to what kind of ignorant boob you are when you swear every other word. 

Of course, if your parents swore a lot than it's probably true that you swear a lot. And of course if you were in the military, than you probably perfected your swearing to an art form.  And that was probably great when you were talking with other 18 to 20 year olds who all probably talked just like you, but of course your probably weren't around women and children when you talked like that.  If it was, or is, then too bad and shame on you.

But for a man in his mid 60s, you would think that at some point in his life that he would have had to deal with regular people - you know, adults?  I mean, I remember going home on leave once while I was in the Marine Corps and saying "pass the #$%@& the potatoes" at my mom's dinner table. 

I remember how that was an educational experience - to say the least.  It was an instant awakening to what is OK around my Marine buddies, and what was not OK around everyone else.  I never forgot the lesson or the embarrassment.

But even in the Marine Corps, I remember finding out that there was a difference between swearing a blue streak when we were out in the field as a young Lance Corporal - and later attending a Platoon Commanders meeting with all Staff NCO and Officers in attendance.  I learned quickly that when in Rome, try to show a little Class.  Besides, I found out that no one really pays any attention to you if you use nothing but foul language. 

As for foul language coming from an old man, well it sure shows people that age hasn't taught him very much at all.  Heck, if by the age of 60 he really needs to swear to get your point across - then he must really have a problem with speaking clearly and understandably.  Of course, like with some these days, maybe his problem is that he may be time to lay off the drugs and the dope, and stop hanging out with bloody idiots.

But really, I'm thankful that we only have one swearing senior citizen around these parts.  At least only one like the one who I'm thinking about.  The guy can't put together a full sentence without swearing every other word.  And the real irony? Well the real irony is that the guy can't understand how his foul mouth is very offensive to the men and women around him!  Imagine that!

Now that I'm talking about my dislike for foul language around women and children, I'm sure someone out there is going to write and say, "Hey, what kind of Marine are you that doesn't swear?"

Well, let me make something clear here, I swear.  In fact, I started swearing a blue streak the other day when I almost broke my leg - but I'm not talking about that moment when you cuss because you hit your thumb with a hammer - I'm talking about everyday conversation, and especially when women and children are present.  During everyday conversation, let's be honest here, there is very little need for it to make your point.

And yes, I'm thankful for that! But of course, there are other things to be thankful for. 

I was sent a News Article about a massive wildfire in Arizona that has burnt down more than 30 homes and has forced nearly 10,000 Americans to evacuate their homes.  I was sent the article because someone wanted me to comment on it simply because the people who started the fires are Illegal Aliens who are crossing the Southeastern Arizona desert.

So what can I say about it that Americans haven't heard?  This is the same Illegal aliens, who the Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is the investigative arm of Congress says has purposely started multiple wildfires in a five year period with the intention of destroying homes and killing Americans.

It is a form of attacking Americans.  It is a form of Terrorism.  And no, I've never said that only Muslims are Terrorists.  This is Terrorism from across our Southern border.  It is a way of attacking Americans in an attempt to kill us!

But wait, the whole idea that it is vital to secure our southern border is something Obama does not want to acknowledge.  The Obama Administration and the Democrat Party look to these same people who are starting these fires as prospective Democrat voters!

This is an attack on American soil.  And yes, I wish Obama would find the courage to go to Arizona and Texas, and face the people down there, and tell those 10,000 Americans who had to be evacuated their homes that he is honestly and truly doing all that he can do to secure the border to stop these sorts of attacks. 

Really folks, if this is all that Obama can do to solve the problem - then he is pathetic!

And yes, that brings me to something that I'm thankful for this year.  The fact is that I'm thankful that Barak Hussein Obama only has one more year in office, and you bet that I'm extremely thankful for that.

Maybe after he leaves office, he can go home to Kenya and open up a Golf Course and New United Nations building there. Then again, maybe after he's in office he can just go back to Chicago where in-action and impotence is considered a great job - and pathetic politics is the way of life.

Story by Tom Correa

Sunday, November 20, 2011

American Pride - The Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day





In the year of 1621, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Massachusetts and the Wampanoag Indians shared a late Autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as the first Thanksgiving celebration in the colonies. 

For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.  It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.


This is that Proclamation establishing Thanksgiving Day:

By Order of the President of the United States

October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.  To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.

Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Abraham Lincoln

Saturday, November 19, 2011

American Pride - Franklin D. Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer



"For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace.  They fight not for the lust of conquest.  They fight to end conquest.  They fight to liberate.  They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. "  FDR

June 6, 1944


My fellow Americans

Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation.  It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God

Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings.  Their road will be long and hard.  For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces.  Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won.  The darkness will be rent by noise and flame.  Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace.  They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest.  They fight to liberate.  They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people.  They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return.  Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas -- whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them--help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer.  But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer.  As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade.  Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled.  Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.  Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies.  Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men.  And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen.


Friday, November 18, 2011

Obama's Dark Vision of America


This is a great article that I wanted to send out to my readers because it really is worth reading. It is by Keith Koffler, who covered the White House as a reporter for CongressDaily and Roll Call, is editor of the blog White House Dossier.


November 16, 2011


America, in the view of President Barack Obama, is not a happy place. It is a dark region where people cheat each other; corporations brutalize the public, and opportunity is out of reach.

Obama’s relentless reelection focus on America’s demons is a communications error that could haunt his bid for a second term.

Americans want to be told the truth. They don’t want their president to pretend that the economy is thriving.

But what they probably won’t abide is a message that there is something fundamentally wrong with the nation that Obama, like some prophet preaching through Gomorrah, was sent to fix.

The last Democratic president to win reelection, Bill Clinton, mimicked Ronald Reagan’s feel-good “Morning in America” theme to coast to a second term.

But Obama is trying out a reelection model that posits a broken country which needs him to “finish the job” he started.

America, in Obama’s view, is an unfair place, where “our school system” is working “for just some children;” where immigrants live “in second-class status.”

The wealthiest — who do pay most of the federal income taxes — are unscrupulous cheats who would have their secretaries fork over a bigger percentage of their income to Uncle Sam than they do.

Corporations and their henchmen on Washington’s K Street have fixed the system so they can rip it off at will.

“Tell these members of Congress,” Obama instructed North Carolina high school students last month, in a pessimistic civics lesson, “that they don’t work for special interest, they don’t work for lobbyists. They work for you.”

Corrupt corporate interests are grabbing for themselves and lying to the public. “I did not run for office,” Obama said, “to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street,”

As for insurers, Obama has charged that they used “deceptive and dishonest” methods to advertise their opposition to his health reform plan.

Together, the wealthy and corporations are assailing the middle class.

“The only class warfare I’ve seen,” Obama said in September, “is the battle that’s been waged against the middle class in this country for a decade.”

For too many, Obama suggests, the American Dream is dead or dying.

“Millions are without work, and those who have work are still all-too-often struggling to get by,” he said recently to a group of Italian-Americans. “And for many, the dream that brought so many Italian-Americans to these shores feels like it’s slipping away.”

The avenues to success are not passable for everyone, and only Obama can reopen them.

“We still have within our grasp,” Obama said at a Denver fundraiser last month, “the ability to make sure that once again America is a place where anybody can make it if they try.”

If, that is, his forlorn fellow citizens are up to it.

“We’ve lost our ambition,” Obama said in California fundraiser last month, “our imagination, and our willingness to do the things that built the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam and unleashed all the potential in this country.”

Compare this to Clinton, who told voters in 1996 that he was presiding over a nation that was essentially well. He embraced some conservative values and even aligned himself with Republicans — signing the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as between a man and a woman; embracing welfare reform, and asserting that he had cut taxes.

The only thing he had left to do, Clinton asserted, was to tinker with things to “build the bridge to the 21st century.”

Obama’s vision reflects the worldview of a former community organizer, whose long focus has been on the disadvantaged. But this seems to have spurred him to see injustice around every corner.

Obama believes the economic crisis he is grappling with is a result of unfettered American greed.

“A free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it,” Obama said last year. “That’s what happened too often in the years leading up to this crisis.”

One can view the United States as a turbulent place teaming with sharks, rather than an oasis where all can safely navigate a way to success. But giving voice to such views might not win a majority in the Electoral College.


Story by Keith Koffler

Re-printed here with pleasure!


Thursday, November 17, 2011

S.C. Cancer Center Bans Christmas To Its Christian Patients

November 16, 2011, in the News, a medical organization had tried its best to deny their Christian patients any sort of Christian symbols during the Christmas season.  In fact, yes, these guys actually tried eliminating Santa Claus from visiting children who are patients during Christmas. 

If you think that I'm telling you some sick joke, please understand that this is no way a joke. 

In fact it is happening all over America.  And this time, yes, its a South Carolina Cancer Center who tried to give Santa Claus the boot.  But, thankfully to an uproar by patients there, the Cancer Center has reversed its decision and Santa can come in during Christmas.

I'm sure he won't be welcome, but he can show up.  And why do I say Santa won't be welcomed?  Well, it is because the Cancer Center has placed a ban on any and all Christmas decorations that are Christian in nature.  Yes, that includes a Nativity!

Imagine this for a minute, The Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, South Carolina has successfully stirred up a hornet's nest of trouble for itself by first telling one of its volunteers that he he would not be allowed to dress up as Santa Claus, then they ban all religious decorations that celebrates the reason for the Christmas season.

Why are they denying their patients the availability of celebrating Christmas while fighting cancer?  Are these folks just another group of insensitive liberals, or are they just another group of Atheist who would like to rid America of our Christian roots? 

A spokeswoman for The Hollings Cancer Center said that because of their affiliation with the State of South Carolina that they decided not to have a Santa at their facility.  And yes, they said that they supposedly had also gotten some complaints from patients - who were not Christians.

"A volunteer had dressed up as Santa and some folks complained that they felt excluded – or that their beliefs didn’t line up with this,” Hollings spokeswoman Vicky Agnew said.  “In an effort to honor as many of the cultural and ethnic beliefs that we see here in South Carolina, we thought we would downplay a Santa presence this year."

Their Santa ban lasted about two days – on Wednesday – they reversed course.

"Perhaps we stumbled here,” Vicky Agnew said. “We are very well aware that Santa is not a religious figure, but we are a state institution and we wanted to tone down the overt commercial and any religious aspects to it."

But there's more, the hospital released another statement saying there was a “passionate response” from the public and patients after The Post and Courier ran a story about Santa’s firing.  That's when they realised that they just hurt their business.

The hospital now says it will allow holiday traditions of all faiths because of "the emotional benefits they provide for patients."  Well, no kidding!

Frank Cloyes, the volunteer who played Old Saint Nick, told the Post and Courier newspaper that kids love the character.  "Santa is a tradition and everyone loves him," he told the newspaper.  He couldn't help but wonder where "political correctness and over-regulation will end."

And that is a big part of this, this is Political Correctness gone nuts!  Political Correctness only got slapped down after the hospital received a back-lash for its PC decision.

I mean, is the State of South Carolina anti-Christian?  I don't believe it is.  Is it possible that a business can be affiliated with a state contractually, and yet retain its own identity?  I sure hope so! 

Do all Americans have to bow to the wishes of the State and Federal Government because of this "Political Correctness" thing that America is experiencing these days?  The liberal left in America would love to see that happen.

And yes, they are certainly trying to instill it into our daily life.  Of course with every time they try to push it on Americans, our people are seeing more and more of what it really is.  It is in fact a horrible, leftist, super-political behavior called "Political Correctness" and it is trying to enslave Americans to do just that - bow to Big Brother and the Liberal Left.

In Communist countries, they have Re-Education Camps to teach their people how to act, how to think, and how to speak.  And yes, knowing what to say is very important in a society that can penalize you for saying the "wrong" thing.   And yes, "wrong" is all up to what their government says is "Wrong!" 

Their government requires their people to do these things or be penalized for their lack of cooperation.  Their penalties can range from fines, time in prison, a return to a Re-Education Camp, to possibly being exiled to work camps set aside for people who want to be free to think, and act, and say as they please.  Communism has no freedom.  It enslaves to survive.

The terrible fact that should not be ignored is that "Politically Correct" actually originated in the Communist World as part of their doctrine of how to control their subjects.  Yes, that right!  Not "citizens," but "subjects."   

These days "Political Correctness" is a virus that plagues America because the Left wants to inject it into our everyday life.  If it is Big Brother telling Americans how to act, how to think, and how to speak - then when is enough enough and we say "No More!"

Sure there have been times when my mother reprimanded me by saying, "Tom, watch what you say. You don't want to offend people."  But that was a mother's way of teaching her son common courtesy to others. 

And yes, there is a vast difference between a mother or dad trying to teach the differences of right and wrong to their children  - and the State or Federal Government demanding that you speak or act or think in a certain manner. 

So the question is still the same, does a State affiliation mean that your business has to follow the doctrine of the State?  If that's so, well then - we're in trouble.

The Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, South Carolina is finding out what happens when you go with what is PC.  Of course they also found out that some truths don't change no matter how hard the liberal atheist would like it to.  The truth is that faith has emotional benefits that can't be measured.  It's something that the liberals may never understand.

Political Correctness feeds the anti-Christian movement in America.  It goes against all that America stands for.  Political Correctness was started by the Communist to attain "Government Control" of its subjects.  In America, it is liberalism running wild - bold with power.

That's how I see it!

Story by Tom Correa

Monday, November 14, 2011

Law Professor says Care Packages for Our Troops "Shameful"

Yes, another jackass liberal from Massachusetts is trying to impose his America Hate on the rest of us.  This time it's a liberal Law Professor who actually says that sending Care Packages to our Troops overseas is "Shameful."

That's right, another Professor proves the point that a formal education doesn't guarantee that you'll be very smart.  It's called the "Dumb-Ass Award!"  And now a Professor named Michael Avery of Suffolk University Law School has made himself eligible to formally be called a Dumb-Ass. 

This Dumb-Ass reportedly sent an email to all of his colleagues saying it is "shameful" to send care packages to U.S. troops. Why? Well, his reasoning is this, he finds it "shameful" to send Care Packages to U.S. troops because they "have gone overseas to kill other human beings."

No kidding! Well, imagine that. This guy has taken this long to decide that Muslim Terrorist and Insurgents who are killing the innocent are human beings and should not be killed.

Yes, upon getting this revelation, Michael Avery who really is a Professor at Suffolk University Law School, sent a five-paragraph email to colleagues in response to a school-wide appeal for Care Packages for deployed soldiers. This was reported by Fox News affiliate WFXT-TV.

"I think it is shameful that it is perceived as legitimate to solicit in an academic institution for support for men and women who have gone overseas to kill other human beings," the ultra-liberal Professor Avery wrote.

Avery, who supposedly specializes in Constitutional Law of all things, wrote the email last week in response to a university drive to collect items for U.S. troops, like sunblock and sanitary products.  And besides his dislike of the idea of Care Packages, yes he has a real problem with U.S. Troops in general.

How do we know that this Dumb-Ass eligible liberal has a personal problem with our troops? Well, it's because of something else he wrote.  He also wrote that sympathy for American troops in harm's way is "not particularly rational in today's world."

The fool has no knowledge of what our troops may have to give to secure our freedoms.  He was probably never in any branch of the United States military. Most likely he has never done a thing for America.  In fact, I'm probably right when I say that this Dumb-Ass has never given anything of himself to his country.

Now I know that that sounds pretty bad, but what's worse is that obviously Avery doesn't care if U.S. Troops are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for America by giving their life for our freedoms. 

Supposedly Suffolk University Law School has been swamped with complaints from students and alumni, claiming Avery's view is not representative of the school community. And honestly, I hope so! 

I hope that parents start taking a long look at what kind of influences their kids are being exposed to.  I hope parents pull their kids out of such schools that have such teachers. I hope parents stop writing a blank check when it comes to trying to give their kids an education.

Parents should ask what is being done to stop the brain-washing of their kids by ultra-left leaning teachers?  Besides, why should a parent support a school who has teachers who try to dismantle the love of America that their kids may have?  Why not put their money in schools that are more like minded?  If you have brought up your children to have certain values and principles, and a love of country, then why allow a school to tear down that life-time of work?  They shouldn't.

One law student, Marisa Roman, told WFXT-TV, "I don't think that he reflects the overall feelings of Suffolk Law in general.  Clearly it's a patriotic school.  We have a huge American flag up in the atrium."

But wait, the ultra-left Michael Avery also has a problem with the American flag.  Imagine that!  He takes exception with Old Glory claiming that the American flag hanging in the atrium "is not a politically neutral act."

I have concluded that with this last bit of evidence presented to me, I can say that Michael Avery is as big a Dumb-Ass as America has seen lately.

Besides, when did an American flag come to represent Politics of any sort?  It doesn't, and never has.  This jerk has no idea about the history or the fundamental principles of Americanism.  This liberal has no idea that our American flag represents a nation that is self-governed.  Self-governed by our people.

This liberal Professor has no respect for the men who have died protecting our flag.  He has no respect for our form of government, or what it has taken to keep it free.  Ah, maybe that's it?  Maybe he's a God Damn Communist asshole as well as being a Dumb-Ass?

Just take a look at the proof, as Avery wrote, "Excessive patriotic zeal is a hallmark of national security states. It permits, indeed encourages, excesses in the name of national security, as we saw during the Bush administration, and which continue during the Obama administration."

First, patriotic zeal unites a country in the face of adversity and war.  Like it or not, we are at war with Muslim Terrorists.  They want to kill Americans, and that's enough for me to want the dead before they kill any of us.

Second, I gather no one informed the liberal yo-yo about 9-11 and the thousands who died because of a lack of concern about national security here at home.  I guess the Dumb-Ass hasn't heard of the thousands of threats that we have received since that horrible day.  I have the feeling that Michael Avery would rather see Americans die - all in the name of a less secure nation.

Suffolk University President and Provost Barry Brown issued a statement saying the school supported the "free exchange of ideas and robust debate" and respected the "right of our faculty members to exercise academic freedom."

But, Brown said, "As a diverse community, no one opinion or perspective is representative of the views of the whole community."

"While I personally intend to donate a care package for our troops, I respect the right of others to hold a differing perspective," added Camille Nelson, the Dean of the University's Law School. "Suffolk Law, while valuing debate on U.S. military policy, has a well-deserved reputation for supporting armed services personnel in the pursuit of their J.D. degrees and career goals."

The ultra-liberal Michael Avery declined to comment further on the matter when contacted Monday by Fox News.

The care package drive, meanwhile, will continue despite the objection of that Dumb-Ass Michael Avery.

"There's individuals who really appreciate and need things we're sending," said student Kelly Bogua. "I'm participating in it and I think a lot of people are regardless of the email. If anything, he really just discredited himself." 

And that my friends, is an under-statement!  It is one thing to have your own views, its another to spread your views as obviously people can give or take what you have to say and tune you out if they want to.  But then there is also the idea of someone who is a teacher, and subsequently in a position of authority, and force your views upon your students. 

Yes, Michael Avery, the Dumb-Ass has loss his credibility - but I'm sure that there are students out there who he will be able to persuade to think like him.  He is like a terrorist of sorts, he attacks young minds and influences them to hate America - and to look at life in the same way as he does. 

And there, there lies the problem.


Story by Tom Correa

Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Scandal No One is Talking About

This is a real good article by Dan Gainor, published November 11, 2011, on FoxNews.com

The Scandal No One is Talking About

If you've been following the news this week, you'd get the impression that America is a scandal-plagued nation. Scandals to the right of us, scandals to the left of us.

Take your pick. There’s the media assault on GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, the deadly "Fast and Furious" federal gun-running case, the Solyndra solar loan fiasco, the collapse of MF Global, led by former Democratic N.J. Gov. Jon Corzine and, of course, the deeply disturbing allegations of child sexual abuse at Penn State.

But the real scandal isn’t any one of those. It’s how journalists pick and choose which controversies to play up and which to play down. They are so inconsistent, you’d think they studied ethics at Penn State under Joe Paterno.

Heck, maybe he studied under them.

Take the allegations against Cain. We are watching ABC’s George Stephanopoulos attack Herman Cain on how he deals with women. This is the same George Stephanopoulos who worked for Bill Clinton and did his best to undermine attacks against him. Remember, Clinton was charged with a variety of women-unfriendly incidents including rape. Yes, rape. Not that the networks made a big deal of it at the time.

Here’s Stephanopoulos, on page 267 of his autobiography “All Too Human,” "Most important, I wanted to keep reports of Paula [Jones'] press conference off television ... It wasn't a hard sell.” His book goes on to say how he tried to discredit her. Yes, this openly Democratic operative is a “newsman” now.

Don’t believe it for a second. The different between “journalist” and Democratic Party operative is often non-existent.

It shows in everything they do. We aren’t even two weeks into CainFest 2011 and the broadcast networks have done 117 stories on him. One-hundred and seventeen? That’s more than a small war would get.

Actually, it’s 58 times more than a small war has gotten. Obama ordered troops into Uganda in October, before the Cain allegations came out. CBS and NBC have each mentioned it once since then. ABC hasn’t mentioned it at all.

But the networks don’t care about American soldiers at risk. They are more concerned that Obama’s presidency is at risk.

That’s the only explanation for how they’ve covered, or not covered, the "Fast and Furious" scandal. You’ve had to look hard to find consistent coverage of this corrupt government program that cost the life of at least one law enforcement officer. Allegedly the goal was to track U.S. guns to drug cartels and arrest gun runners.

But the program was poorly run and it cost the life of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. A good leader would take responsibility for that. A moral leader would have called the family to talk to them or meet with them in person. Attorney General Eric Holder didn’t do either. All he did do was lie to Congress about it.

According to Holder, the program was furiously “flawed in its concept and flawed in its execution.” That skips any blame for when he told Congress he had heard of the program only weeks before. Now we know that’s just not true. In any other city than Washington, D.C., what Holder did was a boldfaced lie.

Not that you’d know it from most network news. While CBS’s Sharyl Attkisson has shown her top-flight skills as a journalist, and been abused by the Obama administration for it, her competing networks have abandoned their responsibility to their viewers. Both NBC and ABC skipped the House Republican roasting Holder received on Capitol Hill.

It’s been much the same in the Solyndra scandal. There only ABC has shown any semblance of journalistic skill covering Obama’s failed green program. It’s a $500-million scandal involving an Obama fundraiser, a solar panel company that had a dot.com era idea on how to make a profit (none) and it’s gotten nowhere near the media coverage a Republican scandal might have gotten. (Just ask Herman Cain.)

A recent Media Research Center analysis found “just 15 stories mentioning the Solyndra scandal since its August 31 bankruptcy filing.” For those who find math difficult – like many journalists – that’s about one eighth of the stories the Cain controversy has gotten.

But hey, Solyndra wasn’t run by a former governor considered as a possible Treasury Secretary and hailed by news outlets as an economic expert. That would be a real scandal. Or not, if he had the infamous “D” after his name.

The former governor is Jon Corzine, who has the reverse Midas touch. He’s run Goldman Sachs, New Jersey and, most recently, MF Global, which just collapsed amidst a $2-billion bankruptcy. MF Global fell apart in what CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin called a “mini Ponzi scheme.”

But not one story on ABC, CBS or NBC has mentioned that Corzine is a Democrat, was considered an Obama adviser and possible pick for a top spot in his administration.

Every time there’s a controversial story, media types are making these choices. They love the Occupy Wall Street crowd, so they play up the good from those protests, despite rapes, vandalism, arson, assaults on police and more. But they hate the Tea Parties, so everything they do is somehow nefarious.

It’s time the media covered their own scandals. They have plenty.

Story by Dan Gainor
Reprinted here with pleasure.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Happy Birthday Marines! God Bless Our Corps!

On this Marine Corps Birthday, I wanted to write something nice and sentimental about the Corps.  But then I decided to knock off the bullspit, and just tell you all how I really feel.

I joined the Marine Corps a lifetime ago, and it has been a huge part of my life ever since.  I feel God has blessed me in that way.

When I was in Boot camp in the very early 1970's, I heard a great story that I want to pass on.  I've always remembered it.  In fact I have to admit that over the years when I've heard other Vets talk about how tough their branch of the military had been, I always remember this story.

Supposedly it's a true story. But then again, who really knows!  

The Story of Second to None.

It happened during the Korean War.  A war correspondent visited an R&R area in the rear well South of the action.  When he arrived he saw that there were two separate camps.

The first was a very well equipped U.S. Army camp which looked absolutely immaculate.  The correspondent was very surprised to see that the Army had Koreans houseboys cleaning up after them, and maids doing their laundry, cutting their hair, shinning their boots, and pressing their uniforms and such.

The camp had portable trailers and new tents with wooded floors.  The tents were insulated and equipped with curtains for the Soldiers, so that they would be able to have privacy.  The camp served high quality hot food that was cooked fresh daily by cooks, and yes three times a day.  They had clean running water, and portable toilets that were maintained for them by their Korean servants. 

For entertainment, the Army set up a Bar and an outdoor theater for movies.  There was also a stage for the USO show when they dropped in, and yes, there was even a volleyball court set up for the troops to exercise off the stress of being away from home. 

The war correspondent was thoroughly impressed.  That is, he was until he found the Marines camp down the hill away from the Army.

It was obvious that the camp for the U.S. Marines was not exactly set up for R&R.  But then again, rest and relaxation meant something different to the Marine Corps.  He soon found out that it should never be confused with resting or relaxing.

The camp looked like it was slapped together.  It was extremely temporary, but then again the Marines did not believe that they would be there too long after they did their job of killing Communist and ensuring the freedom of one more country around the world.

Their water was delivered in Water Buffaloes.  To Marines, a Water Buffalo is a large water tank on wheels. They lived in a collection of secondhand tents that had definitely seen better days.  The tents were big field-tents leftover from the end of World War II - that was first issued in World War I.  It was believed that some Marine Supply Sergeant must have found those old tents in the Supply Depot in Camp Pendleton and decided that he'd send them to Korea to get rid of the old stuff. 

As for the food, well the chow was so-so.  Fact is that the Marines still ate C-Rations as they did in the field.  Hot chow prepared by Mess Cooks and served by Korean servants was out of the question. 

Now before you start saying anything bad about C-Rations, I want you to know that C-Rations were an individually canned, pre-cooked and prepared wet ration intended to be issued to U.S. military when fresh food and prepared meals from the mess halls or field kitchens were not available. 

C-Rations, or C-Rats as they were commonly called, were as good as it got when we could get it!  Since I've eaten both C-Rats and the modern MRE, I can testify to the fact that I understand why Marines joke about MRE standing for "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians."

For me, well I'll go with the C-Rat anytime.  And honestly, I personally knew a few Marines in my units who were fairly creative when it came to cooking up a C-Rat smorgasbord.  In the days before I started smoking, I traded my cigarettes that came with the C-Rations for the peanut butter - and of course for a "sweet roll."   A "sweet roll" was what we called the small roll of 3 pieces of toilet paper that came with our meal.  Yes, now you know where we got our toilet paper from when we were out in the field.
 
But, back to the story!

At the camp, the war correspondent noted that the Marines woke every morning at 0600 hours.  That's 6:00 am for you folks in the Navy.  And for you in the Army and the Air Force, well 0600 hours is when Mickey's left hand is on the 12 and his right hand is on the 6. 

He then saw that after chow, by 0700, Marines stood formation.  Colors was at 0800.  They then returned to their huts to get ready for PT - physical training.  After that, the Marines returned to clean up their area, a GI Party, and then they waited for the Senior Staff NCO to declare Holiday Schedule, or Liberty Call, or not.   

The war correspondent came to realize very quickly that the Marines camp in the rear was not set up to allow them any sort of luxury.  Rest and relaxation was not out of the question.  But he noted that it was just a different sort of rest and relaxation. It was R&R with an edge. 

The Marine Corps works too hard to keep an edge on their Marines. The last thing the Marine corps wants is to have Marines start acting like the Army. 

Instead of them being like the Army, the war correspondent saw the Marine camp as a place to remind the Marines of something very important, they were there to do a mission - and having a fancy R&R area doesn't mean that the war is over or your mision is accomplished. 

Fact is that that war correspondent finally started to understood the Marine Warrior Creed.  They'll be glad to have a stand down, but let's do it after the job is done.  And yes, they know real well that the faster they complete their mission - the faster they'll be able to go home and be with loved ones.  Of course some saw it as the faster that the mission was accamplished, the sooner the party starts - which is not a bad thing when coming back from overseas.

The war correspondent was beside himself.  He couldn't believe the difference, so he decided to go over to the Army R&R camp and give it one more look.  He went to see what they were doing compared to the Marines. 

He got there right after a Bar-B-Q, and was asked if he wanted a cold beer.  He shook his head no, and instead watched the Army enjoying themselves as they played games and such.  It looks like High School, he thought. 

As he was headed back over to the Marine camp to see what they were doing, he passed under a few Soldiers as they were putting a new very large elaborate sign on their front gate.  The sign read: WITHIN THESE WALLS RESIDE FIGHTERS WHO ARE SECOND TO NONE

He thought about the Army's new sign as he walked down the hill to where the Marine camp was located. Just then he saw a Marine walk away from a sign that he had put up.  Right there in front of the shabby Marine camp hung a poorly hand painted sign which simply read:  WE'RE THE NONE

The war correspondent nodded his head in agreement.  Yes, Marines are the "None" who everyone out there is "Second To." 

Some call Marines modern day Spartans. Some say we come from a Warrior Breed.  Some say we fight for our flag, our Country, God, the Corps, and each other - viciously.  I believe those who say those things are right!

I believe that we are a class of fighter who takes prisoners and protects the helpless.  We search out where our enemies hide, and we destroy their very will to fight on.  We close with and kill our enemies before they can harm those who we care about.  And yes, we care about each other because we are family. 

At war, we remind our enemies why we claim to be the best. During peace, we ready ourselves knowing that no one likes to fight - but someone has to know how to do it well.  And yes, with the blessings of God, our Commandant, and hopefully our Gunnies, we do it very well. 

Whether you're a former Marine or presently in our Corps on duty, I pray that God blesses you and keeps you safe.  We will be Marines until the day we die. And yes, I thank God for that!

So Happy Birthday Marines!
God Bless Our Corps!  

Ooh-Rah, Semper Fi!

Story by Tom Correa

Thursday, November 3, 2011

My Veteran's Day Salute to Mr. Charles Durning

I know this article is early, and yes I know that Veterans Day is not until November 11th.  But this year it will fall on 11-11-11, so I wanted to salute someone very special.

Mr. Charles Durning

So you ask, why should I salute actor Charles Durning on Veterans Day?  Well, allow me to explain a few things about Charles Durning, then maybe you'll see what makes him so special. 

He was born on the 28 of February in 1923 in Highland Falls, New York.  He was the second youngest of five children.

His mother, Louise, was a laundress at West Point.  His father, James Durning (originally Durnion) was born in 1890 in County Louth in Ireland.  His father was an Irish immigrant who gained U.S. citizenship by joining the Army.

From everything that I've been able to read about Charles Durning, basically it seems that he was a typical American kid growing up during the Great Depression.  Money was tight and families had to make do. Families stuck together during the hard times and learned to depend on each other to make ends meet.

At 5' 8" and stocky, Charles Durning was a tough kid and a pretty good fighter.  So good, in fact, that among other things he turned Professional Boxer after High School.  He even fought at NewYork's famous Madison Square Gardens.

Again those were the years of the Great Depression, and yes, he too had boyhood heroes.  His idol was actor James Cagney, who proved that a man can be tough and also a great dancer.  If you've ever seen Yankee Doodle Dandy, then you know what I mean.

Charles Durning's first job in the entertainment field was as an usher at a burlesque house.  And yes, some say that his career officially started as a singer with a band at the age of 16 before going into acting.  His first professional play was in Buffalo before he went off to the Army.  Imagine that, I guess James Cagney really had an influence on him.

But it was the opening days of World War II, and since he was brought up with a genuine love for America, like his father, he too joined the U.S. Army.   

Charles Durning joined the US Army when he was 17 years old.  He was first assigned as a rifleman with the 398th Infantry Regiment, and later served overseas with the 3rd Army Support troops and the 386th Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion.

He participated in the Normandy Invasion of German-occupied France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.  He was among the first troops to land at Omaha Beach.  Some sources state that he was with the 1st Infantry Division, Army Rangers at the time.

It should also be noted that he was the only member of his unit to survive the Omaha Beach D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.  While troops and equipment were still coming ashore, he was wounded in the hip and legs three days after he got off the boat.  He still carries the bullet in his hip.

Later, on June 15, 1944,  Charles Durning was wounded again.  This time it was by a German mine at Les Mare des Mares, France.  He was transported by the 499th Medical Collection Company to the 24th Evacuation Hospital.  Then by June 17, just two days later, he was back in England at the 217th General Hospital.

Although severely wounded by shrapnel in the left and right thighs, the right hand, the frontal region of the head, and the anterior left chest wall, Charles Durning recovered quickly and was determined to be fit for duty on December 6, 1944. 

Refusing to be shipped back to the States, he wanted to return to duty.  When he did, he arrived back at the front just in time to take part in what has become known as The Battle of the Bulge. 

For those who don't know, The Battle of the Bulge was really the last German counter-offensive of World War II.  It came as a complete surprise to all of the Allies at the time as Germans and their tanks steamrolled through the Ardennes Forest of Belgium and Luxembourg on December 16th of 1944.

It changed the War Map of the area for a while as Americans were in retreat trying to out distance the advancing Germans.  The unit that Charles Durning was with was eventually surrounded in Belgium by an SS Panzer unit.  Trying to hold out, fighting became intense as the Germans rolled through and engulfed American units caught behind lines.  He was rushed to the front lines to try to help plug the gap, but instead suffered severe bayonet wounds during the hand-to-hand combat.

Then came The Malmedy Massacre which took place on December 17, 1944 by a unit that was a part of the 1st SS Panzer Division during The Battle of the Bulge. 

Caught behind the lines after the American retreat, men from Battery B of the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion were ordered to move away from Schevenhutte, near Aachen, to St Vith in the Ardennes.  Their route took them near to the town of Malmedy. 

On their journey on the N-23 St Vith road that passed to the east of Malmedy, Battery B met up with Lieutenant-Colonel David Pergrin of the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion.

Colonel Pergrin had heard that the Germans were along the route which the men from Battery B were taking. He advised them to take a different route to St Vith.  However, the young officers in charge of the battery decided that they had their orders.  Ignoring Pergrin's advice, they continued along their designated route.

The journey took the men from Battery B to what the locals called the 'Baugnez Crossroads' just two miles South-East of Malmedy.  In fact, the junction had five roads there and the Americans knew it as Five Points.

Battery B's column came under attack from two German tanks some 800 to 1,000 yards to its East. These tanks were the point of Kampfgruppe (KGr.) Peiper, the leading formation of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.

This division, the premier in the Waffen SS, together with its twin, the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, had been given the honor of spearheading the Sixth Panzer Army's attack toward the Meuse River.  They were the only formations in the German Wehrmacht to bear the Führer's name.  And yes, they enjoyed a fearsome reputation - both had already been accused of various war crimes and of killing prisoners in cold blood.

German officer Joachim Peiper was as cruel as humans come.  He already had a reputation of not giving quarter to POWs on the Russian front.  Hitler himself gave the order that Allied POWs would not receive quarter when surrendering.  Hitler wanted to put terror in the American troops.

With Battery B convoy moving south on the N-23 to his left, to the Germans it was an inviting target and they immediately opened fire and move up on the retreating column. There the Germans were confronted by the abandoned vehicles of the American convoy–some burning, some shot up, others in the ditch or crashed into each other.  The American troops took cover beside the road in ditches.

After pushing the abandoned vehicles out of the way, the Germans fired their machine guns at the ditches in which most of the Americans had taken cover.  Supposedly this was get the Americans to surrender. 

The surrendering Americans were to march back down the road toward Five Points, once there they were gathered in a field.  The survivors of Battery B were being assembled in that field.

By about 2:00pm, 113 Americans had been assembled in the field by the Café.  They included 90 members of the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, all except for three from Battery B, 10 men from five ambulances, the military policeman who had been on traffic duty at Five Points, the 86th Battalion engineer and 11 men who had been captured by KGr. Peiper before reaching Baugnez, 8 were from the 32nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2 were from the 200th Field Artillery Battalion and a Sergeant from the 23rd Infantry Regiment. 

The Sergeant from the 23rd Infantry Regiment was Charles Durning.

On December 17, 1944, in a large field, the German guards backed away from the prisoners when three trucks pulled up.  Then, at about 2:15pm, machine guns that were hidden in trucks opened fire on the helpless American troops.

It was a slaughter.  The firing stopped at about 2:30pm.  In all, it only took 15 minutes.  Afterwards German troops from Peiper's unit went around the field and shot those who were still, this time at close range so there wouldn't be any mistakes.

Later, through autopsies, we found out that many Americans were also clubbed them to death.  Incredible as it may be, some prisoners did get away after faking death.  It was three of these escapees that came across American Colonel Pergrin.

Colonel Pergrin heard the machine gun fire from where he was.  He grabbed a Sergeant and they went to investigate, first in a jeep and then on foot.  Near Five Points where the five roads came together, a few wounded Americans rushed up to Colonel Pergrin. 

One of the American soldiers was a wounded Army Ranger by the name of Charles Durning.  Yes, he was one of a few survivors to the infamous Malmedy Massacre of American POWs by German SS troops.

It was these men who first alerted the Americans that something had gone bad at the crossroads.  Colonel Pergrin took the wounded men to Malmedy, and at 4:40pm, he contacted the First Army's Headquarters to inform them that a massacre had taken place at Five Points near Malmedy.

Of the 113 men in that field, 84 were killed.  Of the 29 left, some were never found, and 21 American survivors made statements to U.S. authorities in Malmedy on December 17, the same day as the massacre. 

On the following day, long before there was any possibility of collusion or anybody putting ideas into their heads, they all told essentially the same story:

"After surrendering to a German armored column and being disarmed, they were assembled in a field just south of the crossroads. The Germans then opened fire on them with machine guns and rifles. In most cases, the survivors mentioned two pistol shots before the main shooting started. They said that soldiers then entered the field and shot anyone who showed any signs of life and that many of the bodies were kicked or prodded in order to get a response. Following this, the German column continued to drive past, with some of the vehicle crews taking potshots at the bodies lying in the field. All but one of the survivors insisted that no attempt to escape had been made before the Germans opened fire, and that the escape attempt came at a much later stage when they thought the Germans had left the area."

After a time again in an American Army Hospital in England, a wounded Charles Durning was repatriated to the United States.  He remained in Army hospitals in the States so that he would be able to receive treatment for wounds.  He was until being discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant on January 30, 1946.

The Malmedy Massacre, as well as others that were committed by the same SS unit in the following days, was the subject of the Malmedy Massacre Trial which was part of the Dachau Trials of 1946.

For his military service, Staff Sergeant Charles Durning was awarded several of our nations highest decorations for valor including the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts.

After being discharged, he wanted to get into acting.  Along the way he became an Iron Worker, an Elevator Operator, a Cabbie, and even a Waiter, while pursuing his desire to act.  And yes, despite the wounds he received in action during World War II, he also went on to become a Professional Dancer and Dance Teacher. 

In fact, he taught dance at the Fred Astaire Studios and relied upon it when he couldn't find acting work.  But then in the late 1950s, he finally got his break.  Since then, well let's just say that he's had a long and glorious career as a Film and Stage star.

When I was growing up, I heard stories about famous actors like Clark Gable who enlisted in the Army Air Corps in World War II.  Of course there was Jimmy Stewart who was also in the Army Air Corps during that time -  and in fact stayed in the Air Force Reserve until he retired at the rank of Brigadier General. 

Actor Lee Marvin was a Marine in the Pacific during World War II.  George C. Scott who became famous for playing General Patton was also a Marine.  Charles Bronson was in the Army.  Of course, Glenn Ford was a Marine and in the Navy during World War II, the Korean War, and he even spent some time in Vietnam.  At a young age, I learned to respect and admire those who have served - both famous and not.

Here's a great video tribute to Charles Durning that I thought you might want to see.  I know it has a lot to do with his acting career, but it shows a lot about the man.






Charles Durning is one of the people who I really admire, and I have for years.  Granted it was mostly because of his service to our great nation during World War II, but there are other reasons. 

He was the Chairman one year of the U.S. National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans.  He was also an honored guest speaker at the National Memorial Day Concert for many years, which was televised by PBS on the Sunday evening of Memorial Day weekend.

In April 2008, Charles Durning received the National Order of the Legion of Honor from the French consul in Los Angeles. It was awarded to him serving with distinction in France.  During the ceremony, he spoke a little about his wartime experiences in his usual humble manner.

You see Charles Durning has never forgotten the devotion that he and many other veterans have made for America.  He understands the great sacrifices and the great loss.  He has seen both for what they are.  It is because of that that he is well-known for participating in various functions to honor America's veterans.  And yes, it's because of who he is as a man that I take great pleasure in saluting Charles Durning on this Veteran's Day 2011.

Thank you Mr. Durning.  May God Bless you and yours for all that you've done for America.

Sincerely,
Tom Correa