Archive for the 'Patriotism' Category

Sheryl Roush Interviewed by Montel Williams

Heart of a Military Woman, Interviews, Patriotism| 4 Comments »

Sheryl Roush Interviewed by Montel Williams
Friday, December 4, 2009

Montel Williams interviewed San Diegan Sheryl Roush on his live national MONTEL ACROSS AMERICA radio show this morning.

A former Navy wife, Sheryl just released the Heart of a Military Woman book, co-authored with Eldonna Lewis Fernandez, USAF Retired Master Sergeant, on Veterans Day this year.

Montel’s introduction overview of the book was eloquent, and commenting about supporting the families of the active military member too. Sheryl read the opening poem "Military Women" by Virginia Ellis.  Montel and Sheryl agreed that whether we support the decision to send more troops or not, we need to support our troops — there and here on the homefront.

The program aired LIVE then are archived at
http://airamerica.com/montelacrossamerica/

Today’s podcast is posted here:
http://airamerica.com/ondemand/12-04-2009/montel-12-04-2009-09-04-01/

Sheryl Roush is the President/CEO of Sparkle Presentations, Inc., and author of the Heart Book Series. As an inspirational speaker, she boosts morale and attitude, creating positive work environments and rekindling the spirit in organizations. Her other titles in the series include: Heart of a Woman in Business, Heart of a Woman, Heart of a Mother, Heart of the Holidays and Corazon de Mujer (Spanish).

Montel Williams is passionate about his country, his issues, and his audience.  After a 17-year run as Emmy-winning host of his own daily daytime television program, Montel turned to radio as his new forum. His daily program features unique insight on social, political, and economic issues along with information on health and wellness for his listeners. Montel Across America is often broadcast from cities across the country and around the world, as Montel seeks to get up close and personal with his listeners and the issues he features.

Williams began his career when he enlisted in the US Marine Corps in 1974, and followed that with an appointment to the Naval Academy, where he studied Mandarin Chinese and developed a specialty in cryptology.  An accomplished author, Williams has published eight books to date, four of which were New York Times Bestsellers. His latest release Living Well Emotionally hit bookstores on January 6th, 2009 and has received critical acclaim.

Dec. 2, 2009-Military Writers Book Signing Symposium at San Diego Veterans Museum and Memorial Center

Book Signings, Heart of a Military Woman, Patriotism| 2 Comments »

MILITARY WRITER’S SOCIETY OF AMERICA
SAN DIEGO BOOK FAIR AND SIGNING

On Wednesday, December 2, 2009, from 6-8 p.m., 14 authors from the San Diego Chapter of the Military Writer’s Society of America will gather at the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center for a Symposium, Book Fair and Book Signing.

This free event allows attendees to meet the writers, purchase books that can be personally signed, and take part in the authors’ special sales just in time for holiday gift shopping.

Topics include fiction and non-fiction and deal with WWII, Vietnam, the Cold War, Iraq and Afghanistan, military women, as well as other non-military subjects like true crime, historical fiction, self-help/inspirational, and pop culture.

Authors and Book Titles/Subjects
Books will be available for sale at the event.

Gail Chatfield
By Dammit, We’re Marines! Veterans Stories of Heroism, Horror, and Humor in World War II on the Pacific Front (WWII)

Virg Erwin
Cat Lo, a memoir of invincible youth (Vietnam)

David Lucero
The Sandman (Mystery/Suspense/Middle East)

Emilio Marrero
A Quiet Reality: A Chaplain’s Journey into Babylon Iraq with the I Marine
Expeditionary Force (Iraq)

Carl Nelson
The Advisor (Cô-Vân)(Vietnam Fiction)
Secret Players (Cold War Fiction)
Madam President and the Admiral (Fiction/Future Era)

Sheryl Roush and Eldonna Lewis Fernandez
Heart of a Military Woman (Veterans Day 2009 Release!)
Stories, Poems & Tributes Honoring Those Who Serve Our Country
Heart of a Woman in Business: Stories, Skills & Strategies for Business Success

Sheryl Roush
Heart of a Woman:
Stories, Poems, Quotations
Heart of the Holidays: Yuletide Treasures and Traditions
Heart of a Mother: Stories, Poems and Tributes to Mothers and Grandmothers
Corazón de Mujer (Heart of a Woman, Spanish)

Tom Ruck

Sacred Ground, A Tribute to America’s Veterans

Mike Sager
Scary Monsters and Super Freaks (True Crime)
Revenge of the Donut Boys (Pop Culture)
Deviant Behavior, A Novel (fiction)
Wounded Warriors (Iraq/Afghanistan)

Amy Goodpaster Strebe
Flying for Her Country:
The American and Soviet Women Military Pilots of World War II (WWII)

Don Westenhaver
The Whiplash Hypothesis (Vietnam)
The Red Turtle Project (Post-War Vietnam)
Nero’s Concert (Historical Fiction)

Marc Yablonka
Distant War: Recollections of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (Vietnam)

The Veterans Museum and Memorial Center was created in 1989 to honor and perpetuate the memories of the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. The museum honors the legacy that has been created by these courageous men and women through artifacts, personal testimonials, stories of service, and guest speaker panels. Located in the historic Chapel of the old Balboa Naval Hospital, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Ample, free parking available to visitors.

Veterans Museum and Memorial Center
2115 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101
619-239-2300
info@veteranmuseum.org
www.veteranmuseum.org

Contact: Melani Bruce, Events Director
vmmc.events@pacbell.net
melanijune@hotmail.com
619-886-5511

Carl Nelson, Event Chair
canelson56@cox.net
619-421-9094

The Veterans Museum and Memorial Center was created in 1989 to honor and perpetuate the memories of the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. The museum honors the legacy that has been created by these courageous men and women through artifacts, personal testimonials, stories of service, and guest speaker panels. Located in the historic Chapel of the old Balboa Naval Hospital, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Ample, free parking available to visitors.

God Bless the USA

Patriotism| 5 Comments »

Independence Day 2009

In spite of everything that is currently happening in our country, the economy, losses of loved ones, homes and jobs, we still need to pause and reflect on what we DO have in our lives! As we celebrate the Fourth of July this week, let’s do so with a patriotic spirit of gratitude and faithfulness, and celebrate a land where we can still embrace our freedoms and liberties.

The United States–as a country and as a people–have joined together through countless tragedies, depressions and battles, and bounced back each time. We shall again, and it will take our "united-ness" to do it.

We are more than a geographic location on the globe.
We are a people of sheer determination.
We are a people of amazing inner drive.
We are a people of creativity and vision.
We are a people of boundless persistence.
We are a people of great faith.
And THAT is ALL worth celebrating this Independence Day!

"God Bless the USA"

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I’d worked for all my life,
And I had to start again
with just my children and my wife,
I’d thank my lucky stars
to be living here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom
and they can’t take that away.
I’m proud to be an American
where at least I know I’m free,
And I won’t forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land
God Bless the USA.

-Lyrics by Lee Greenwood


Sheryl Roush
Proud American
Speaker and 12-time Author
Co-Author of the forthcoming book, Heart of a Military Woman, releasing Veteran’s Day, Nov. 2009
www.SparklePresentations.com

Send a Holiday Message to American Troops

Holidays, Patriotism| No Comments »

Send a Holiday Message to American Troops

Say THANK YOU to thousands of American men and women are in the trenches fighting to keep us safe and free. Go here and your message will reach them in time for Christmas… http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html

Veterans Day Remembrance

Holidays, Patriotism, Poems| No Comments »

Veterans Day Remembrance

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus or community organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

— Father Dennis Edward O’Brian, USMC

The Day After Elections: Today I am an American

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The Day After Elections: Today I am an American

Yesterday I was a registered Republican campaigning for a Democrat.
I spent the day walking my neighborhood, working to get out the vote.
During the campaign I spent hours on the phone and worked the rallies.
I placed a bumper sticker on my truck, and a sign in my yard.
 
I witnessed the best and worst in my fellow Americans.
Their behavior did not fall along party lines, but was split between those who fear and those with hope.
It was the first election where I did more than cast a ballot.
I admire and applaud all of you, win or lose, who worked your tail off for your candidate.
 
But today is a new day.
I believe it’s time for a new attitude, a different outlook.
Simply saying I belong to one political party doesn’t seem quite big enough.
 
Starting today, whenever I’m asked about my political affiliation, I will say with pride, I am an American.
 
I’m not sure what will happen next, but I’m excited about the possibilities.
I intend to be a part of whatever it is, and I hope you feel the same.
 
I share common ground with those of you who voted for, or worked on behalf of, any of the candidates.
I invite you to use the link below to visit my blog and post a comment of what you think should come next.
Not about what the politicians should do, but what we as individual Americans will do.

Today I am an American
 
Jerry Gitchel

For more information, click here.

Time for an American Evolution

Holidays, Patriotism| 1 Comment »

Time for an American Evolution

“The good news this July 4th is that we don’t need a revolution in this country. We’ve already had one. What is needed now is the American Evolution, where we the people realize we are the leaders we’ve been waiting for and restore the all-important missing ingredient in government of, by and for the people — the people.

“If fear has hijacked the American dream, we the people must higher-jack it. We must overgrow the fear-based state of emergency, and declare a love-based state of Emerge ‘n See instead. We must emerge from our fearful state of separation and see we are all in this together.

“Biology is now confirming what our spiritual teachers have been trying to get through our thick skulls for millennia: Life is not about survival of the fittest, but the thrival of the fittingest. Each of us is a remarkable community of 50 trillion cells, all working together in harmony. In the society beneath our skin, there is universal health care and full employment, truly no cell left behind. Unlike most human nations, the ‘nations’ of cells known as organs cooperate for the benefit of the entire organism. You rarely if ever read about the liver invading the pancreas and laying claim to the Islets of Langerhans.

“We declare our independence from the obsolete positions of left and right, and we come front and center to face the music and dance together. We see there are no sides, only angles … and when seen from the right angle, we are all on the same side.

“We declare our independence from the notion that we are better than or less than any other human being. Consider this: Each of us is totally unique, just like everyone else.”

Excerpts from Beyonda News:  http://www.wakeuplaughing.com

Real Freedom

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Real Freedom

Observing Independence Day may mean getting together for a family barbecue or taking an out-of-town trip, but no matter how you spend the day, Dr. Robin Smith says it’s important to remember what the day is really about. "People have lost loved ones so we can live in this free country," she says. There is also another, more personal, side to Independence Day that Dr. Robin says people sometimes forget: "Part of freedom is being safe to be who you are," she says.

In order to really appreciate your freedom this year, Dr. Robin suggests making Independence Day an up close and personal holiday—a time to exercise your idea of freedom. "What does it really mean for you to be free? For you to be liberated? For you to not just live in the land of the free, but for you to be a human being who is accessing it in your everyday life?" Dr. Robin asks. "What does it really look like for you to make good choices? Free choices that feed you body, feed your mind, feed your relationships?"

By embracing the meaning of independence and freedom and applying it to your own life this Fourth of July, Dr. Robin says you’ll become liberated in a new way. "Become who you were born to be, who you were destined to be—that is what it means to be free."

– Dr. Robin Smith, radio show on July 4, 2008, www.Oprah.com

God Bless America

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God Bless America
Song Lyrics by Irving Berlin

God Bless America.
Land that I love
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America
My home sweet home.

God Bless America,
Land that I love
Stand beside her,
And guide her,
Through the night
With the light from above,

From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the ocean,
White with foam,

God bless America,
My home sweet home.
God bless America,
My home sweet home

Independence Day

Holidays, Patriotism, Stories| No Comments »

Independence Day

In celebration of the United States’ Independence, we bring you this true story of five men who broke through their terror barrier and made a commitment to something huge.

The thirteen colonies (what would become the United States) were being taxed unfairly under Great Britain’s rule. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman were the five men that stood up for the Colonist’s rights. They argued that Great Britain had no jurisdiction to tax the Colonies.

While all of the other Colonists felt that they were being treated unfairly, none of them were willing to say so, as their allegiance was still with the King of Great Britain. It was up to these five men to push for the rights of the Colonists. They met at the Virginia Convention and then again in Williamsburg to declare the Colonies independent. John Adams stood up for the resolution that: "these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.

When these five men met to draft the Declaration of Independence, there was no working process. They did not have someone to lead the meeting, take minutes or even guide them as to how the ideas should be presented. They were on their own to take control and put all of their thoughts into an organized form that could be presented to Congress. The committee decided on a general outline that the document needed to follow, and then appointed Thomas Jefferson to write the first draft. The weight of the 13 Colonies’ independence now rested on Jefferson’s shoulders. Jefferson only had 17 days to finish the first draft. He then got comments and revisions from the other committee members and wrote a second draft. The document titled "A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress Assembled" was presented to Congress on June 28, 1776.

These men knew that what was put on this paper could have cost them their lives, did they not receive backup from Congress and the other Colonists. If the King of Great Britain wanted to, he could have had these men executed for encouraging the Colonists to go against his rule. They put themselves on the line in order to gain freedom for the rest of the Colonies.

On July 2, 1776 Congress and 12 of the 13 colonies approved General Lee’s Resolution for Independence, severing ties between the Colonies and Great Britain for good. The next day, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife predicting that July 2nd would soon become a great American holiday. Congress then began to look at the Declaration of Independence. After several days of debating, word changing, and some content adjustment, Congress approved the document on July 4, 1776.

Today America celebrates 232 years of independence and freedom. Because these men did not let fear stand in their way, because they did not hesitate to make the right choice, American Citizens now have the right to vote, the right to free speech, the right to practice any religion, the right to a fair trial, just to name a few.

Paul Martinelli
Imagine what impact you could make, if you broke through your terror barrier. The endless amounts of people you could impact and differences you could make in the world are incredible!

Boalsburg, PA- Birthplace of MEMORIAL DAY

Patriotism| 1 Comment »

Boalsburg, PA- Birthplace of Memorial Day

Boalsburg is a quaint little village situated in Centre County, Pennsylvania, just off Route 322, in the picturesque foothills of the Alleghenies. It’s only a dot on the map, and you as a casual driver might drive past it without even being aware that it is nestled there in the rolling valley beneath a coverlet of oaks and pines and cedars – were it not for a plain little marker by the side of the road: "Boalsburg. An American Village – Birthplace of Memorial Day."

What about that boast?

It happened in October, 1864. It was a pleasant Sunday and in the little community burial ground behind the village the pioneers of colonial times slept peacefully side by side with the recently fallen heroes of the Civil War.

It was this day that a pretty, young teen-age girl, Emma Hunter by name, and her friend, Sophie Keller, chose to gather some garden flowers and to place them on the grave of her father, Dr. Reuben Hunter, a surgeon in the Union Army, who died only a short while before. And it was this very same day than an older woman, a Mrs. Elizabeth Meyer, elected to strew flowers on the grave of her son Amos, who as a private in the ranks, had fallen on the last day of Battle at Gettysburg.

And so the two with their friend met, kneeling figures at nearby graves, a young girl honoring her officer father, a young mother paying respects to her enlisted-man son, each with a basket of flowers which she had picked with loving hands. And they got to talking. The mother proudly told the girl what a fine young man her son had been, how he had dropped his farm duties and enlisted in the Union Army at the outbreak of the war, and how bravely he had fought.

The daughter respectfully took a few of her flowers as a token and placed them on the son’s grave. The mother in turn laid some of her freshly cut blooms on the father’s grave. These two women had found in their common grief a common bond as they knelt together in that little burial ground in Central Pennsylvania where Mount Nittany stands eternal guard over those who sleep there. Nor did they realize at the same time that their meeting had any particular significance – outside of their own personal lives; it was just that they seemed to lighten their burdens by sharing them. But as it happened these two women were participating in their first Memorial Day Service.

For the story goes that before the two women left each other that Sunday in October, 1864, they had agreed to meet again on the same day the following year in order to honor not only their own two loved ones, but others who now might have no one left to kneel at their lonely graves. During the weeks and months that followed the two women discussed their little plan with friends and neighbors and all heard it with enthusiasm. The report was that on July 4, 1865 – the appointed day – what had been planned as a little informal meeting of two women turned into a community service. All Boalsburg was gathered there, a clergymen – Dr. George Hall – preached a sermon, and every grave in the little cemetery was decorated with flowers and flags; not a single one was neglected.

It must have been an impressive ceremony that took place that day in this peaceful mountain-rimmed valley where not so long before the red men had held their councils. It must have been such a scene as this that inspired Longfellow to write:
        Your silent tents of green
        We deck with flagrant flowers:
        Yours has the suffering been,
        The memory shall be hours.

It seemed such a fitting and proper way of remembering those who had passed on that the custom became an annual event in Boalsburg, and one by one the neighboring communities adopted a similar plan of observing "Decoration Day" each spring. On May 5, 1868, just four years after that first meeting in the little burial ground, Gen. John A. Logan, then commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued an order, naming May 30, 1868, as a day "for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country." He signed the order "with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year." And so it has.

Ceremonies at first were held to honor only those who had served the Union cause in the Civil War, later the program was broadened to embrace the men who faught in gray as well as in blue, finally to include all heroes who have made the supreme sacrifice in all American conflicts from the Revolutionary War to World War II. Which, of course, is as it should be if Holmes’ immortal words are not to become an empty, meaningless phrase– "One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation evermore."

As a matter of fact, Memorial Day – and it should be noted that in 1882 the GAR urged that "proper designation of May 30 in Memorial Day" – not Decoration Day – is now observed by most people as a day when we pay respect to all who have died, in war or in peace, as soldiers or as civilians. To a very large extent Memorial Day has lost its pure military significance and in a broader sense has become the one day in the year when all of us pause in respectful tribute to those who have walked these paths before.

Of course, some people will tell you that this custom of honoring the dead originated in the South. And in a way this is true. Many southern women did strew flowers on the graves of their fallen heroes – no doubt many northern women did too – and several of the Southern states still observe their own dates.

But all this does not necessarily conflict with the story told by the people in Boalsburg, and does not weaken the claim which they so proudly make. This writer now has no way of verifying the facts; I cannot state with certainty that there was any connection between the order issued by General Logan in 1868 and the events in the Boalsburg cemetery that day in 1864; I know only what the people tell me. But somehow I like to believe – and I do believe – that Memorial Day, as we know it and observe it generally today, was born in that tiny Pennsylvania graveyard on the outskirts of "An American Village," when a proud mother and a grieving daughter met to scatter flowers over the final resting places of a brave son and a gallant father.

The above is an excerpt of an article which was written by Herbert G. Moore for the National Republic Magazine in May 1948 and which then Congressman James Van Zandt, representing his Centre County constituents, had reprinted in the Congressional Record of May 19, 1948.

NOTE: Twenty-four (24) communities nationwide lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. In May 1966, Pres. Lyndon Johnson on behalf of the U.S. government sanctioned Waterloo, New York, as the "official" birthplace of Memorial Day because that community’s earliest observance 100 years earlier in 1866 was considered so well planned and complete. Among the earliest communities which felt inspired to set aside a special day for remembrance of its war dead were Mobile, Ala.; Montgomery, Ala.; Camden, Ark.; Atlanta, Ga.; Milledgeville, Ga.; New Orleans, La.; Columbus, Miss.; Jackson, Miss.; Vicksburg, Miss.; Raleigh, N.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Charleston, S.C.; Fredericksburg, Va; Portsmouth, Va.; Warrenton, Va.; and, Washington, D.C.

POEM: A Tribute to Old Glory

Patriotism, Poems, Quotations| 1 Comment »

A Tribute to Old Glory
by Cynthia Groopman

In the soft gentleness of the dawn’s early light,
My eyes are dazzled by an enchanting breathtaking sight.
For regally gracing the clear early morning sky,
Is Old Glory cheerfully waving so very high.

For dear red, white and blue you symbolize a nation of heroes
Who are so loyal, brave and true.
Like a dove of peace, your stripes are of a snowy white,
Symbolizing freedom’s preciously shining eternal light.
A bright red is as fiery as a blaze,
Adding luster and brightness to the morning haze.

For dear Old Glory, you are indeed a joyful gift for us to behold,
As you picturesquely narrate a story that is remarkably told.
For you are priceless treasure and I love and admire you,
With emotions, words and sentiments that are loving true.

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