Interesting post from some real, live people in Iran (/sarcasm on: go figure!/sarcasm off) who are celebrating the victory for our President. One could certainly believe from the last several months of reading and listening to “regular” news, that we had maybe 2.7 people outside the borders of this country that maybe, sort of, under threat of torture, might say they liked America.

I’m swiping poetry of Russ Vaughn’s, Army Vietnam Vet with a real talent for coherent writing, from Matt. Published here for the record.

Today Is Veterans’ Day
On September 8th, I posted that Election Day would be Veterans’ Day…. Here’s something to commemorate the day by the MilBlog Poet Laureate (and fellow paratrooper), Russ Vaughn:

Their Veterans’ Day
Some said let you apologize
But that wouldn’t do it in our eyes.
A man astride of each position
Could we believe your true contrition?
And on deaf ears your words would fall
To those whose names are on that Wall
The vindication they now accept
In settling up this long-held debt,
Is that for them we gave our best
And denied you, John, your lifelong quest.
We fought for them, fought for our own,
To make you reap what you had sown.
Listen carefully John to what we say,
November 2d was their Veterans’ Day.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Sgt Joseph was horribly wounded in Iraq and is now at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC. The Army can only bring 2 of his family members (from Ft. Bragg, NC), any others coming there are doing so out of pocket. Sgt Bozik’s wounds are terrible, he has lost both legs and an arm and is in a coma. As any of you know, the cost of hotels in the DC area are very high and we know soldier’s pay isn’t that great.

Transportation and living expenses are needed to allow his family to be with him. There is a way to help out in the link above, if you feel so inclinced. In this other post, there are pictures of Sgt Bozik, sent by his mother. What struck me was the life in his eyes in those two pictures. While it is a cruel set of circumstances that did this, his look seems to say there lots of life left in this young man.

Please pass the word on, and don’t forget there are others like Joseph Bozik who we owe much to.

Matt at Black Five has more great stuff. This article is about a German woman who has been a real supporter of the wounded Soldiers in the hospital in Landsthul, Germany.

It’s nice to know someone is giving of themselves to show our wounded youth, serving the cause of freedom around the world some real love. The are connected to Soldier’s Angels, which is a non-profit organization, where you can see how to lend a hand to those who protect us with their own lives.

I vote to not trust Osma bin Laden’s promise to not attack those who vote the way he wants. The below link takes you to a post regarding a planned attack on a “football” (soccer to us ‘Mericans) stadium in Madrid. I thought the al-Queda had subdued the Spanish with the train station bombing, but it seems like they are just bent on killing more and saying “JUST KIDDING!” to the people of Spain, after they voted the “right” one in and the troops were withdrawn. Thank God the Spanish law enforcement and judicary is still hard at work preventing murder for some unholy reason.