Category Archives: Memorial Day

HAPPY AND GLORIOUSLY FREE MEMORIAL DAY

Posted on by

Beloved,

I hope you have a happy and glorious Memorial Day! Let us remember
who we have to thank for our freedom to be who we are, our soldiers.
I honor all who serve in our military no matter what position they hold.
My deepest wish is that we will soon no longer need our military to
defend us with their lives and instead use their patriotism to inspire others.

I feel saddened by the Americans who do not give respect to our fallen
soldiers AND the loved ones they have left behind. So many enjoy the
Freedom that they gave us with nary a thought of thanksgiving. Let us show
our appreciation by enjoying this beautiful weekend with our loved ones
in HONOR of our brothers and sisters in the military. Do not be afraid or
shy to verbally have a toast to them so that all may give thanks.

There are several stories I thought you might enjoy but still not knowing
how to maneuver the gifts of the computer, I cannot shrink this down.

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly
being surrounded by civilization that
complains about the noise from the base
and its planes, forgetting that it was there
long before they were.. A certain
lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves
a big pat on the back. Apparently, an
individual who lives somewhere near
Luke AFB wrote the local paper
complaining about a group of F-16s
that disturbed his/her day at the mall.

When that individual read the response
from a Luke AFB officer, it must have
stung quite a bit.

The complaint:
‘Question of the day for Luke Air
Force Base:

Whom do we thank for the morning
air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely
9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four
F-16 jets made a low pass over
Arrowhead Mall, continuing west
over Bell Road at approximately
500 feet. Imagine our good fortune!
Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel
we need this wake-up call, or were
they trying to impress the cashiers
at Mervyns early bird special?

Any response would be appreciated.

The response:

Regarding ‘A wake-up call from
Luke’s jets’ On June 15, at precisely
9:12 a.m . , a perfectly timed four- ship
fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter
Squadron at Luke Air Force Base
flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy
Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air
Force officer who was previously
stationed at Luke Air Force Base and
was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.

At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and
friends gathered at Sunland Memorial
Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of
a husband, son and friend. Based on
the letter writer’s recount of the fly
by, and because of the jet noise, I’m
sure you didn’t hear the 21-gun salute,
the playing of taps, or my words to
the widow and parents of Capt.
Fresques as I gave them their son’s
flag on behalf of the President of the
United States and all those veterans
and servicemen and women who
understand the sacrifices they have
endured..

A four-ship fly by is a display of
respect the Air Force gives to those
who give their lives in defense of
freedom. We are professional
aviators and take our jobs seriously,
and on June 15 what the letter writer
witnessed was four officers lining up
to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, ‘Whom do we
thank for the morning air show’?
The 56th Fighter Wing will make
the call for you, and forward your
thanks to the widow and parents of
Capt Fresques, and thank them for
you, for it was in their honor that
my pilots flew the most honorable
formation of their lives.

Only 2 defining forces have ever
offered to die for you….Jesus Christ
and the American Soldier. One died
for your soul, the other for your
freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.
USAF

…conversation overheard on the VHF Guard (emergency) frequency 121.5
MHz while flying from Europe to Dubai.

Iranian Air Defense Site: ‘Unknown
aircraft you are in Iranian airspace.
Identify yourself.’
Aircraft: ‘This is a United States
aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.’
Air Defense Site: ‘You are in
Iranian airspace. If you do not
depart our airspace we will launch
interceptor aircraft!’
Aircraft: ‘This is a United States
Marine Corps FA-18 fighter.
Send ’em up, I’ll wait!’
Air Defense Site: ( … total silence)

God bless our troops. There is
something about a Marine that
makes other countries listen to reason.

Really interesting, and I never knew this
little bit of history:

Tour boats ferry people out to the USS
Arizona Memorial in Hawaii every thirty
minutes. We just missed a ferry and had
to wait thirty minutes.. I went into a small
gift shop to kill time. In the gift shop, I
purchased a small book entitled,
“Reflections on Pearl Harbor ” by Admiral
Chester Nimitz.

Sunday, December 7th, 1941–Admiral
Chester Nimitz was attending a concert
in Washington D.C. He was paged and
told there was a phone call for him.
When he answered the phone, it was
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
on the phone. He told Admiral Nimitz
that he (Nimitz) would now be the
Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

Admiral Nimitz flew to Hawaii to assume
command of the Pacific Fleet. He landed
at Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1941.
There was such a spirit of despair,
dejection and defeat–you would have
thought the Japanese had already won
the war. On Christmas Day, 1941,
Adm. Nimitz was given a boat tour of the
destruction wrought on Pearl Harbor
by the Japanese.. Big sunken battleships
and navy vessels cluttered the waters
every where you looked.

As the tour boat returned to dock, the
young helmsman of the boat asked,
“Well Admiral, what do you think after
seeing all this destruction?” Admiral
Nimitz’s reply shocked everyone within
the sound of his voice. Admiral Nimitz
said, “The Japanese made three of the
biggest mistakes an attack force could
ever make, or God was taking care of
America . Which do you think it was?”
Shocked and surprised, the young
helmsman asked, “What do mean by
saying the Japanese made the three
biggest mistakes an attack force ever
made?

Nimitz explained:
Mistake number one : the Japanese
attacked on Sunday morning. Nine
out of every ten crewmen of those
ships were ashore on leave. If those
same ships had been lured to sea
and been sunk–we would have lost
38,000 men instead of 3,800.

Mistake number two : when the
Japanese saw all those battleships
lined in a row, they got so carried away
sinking those battleships, they never
once bombed our dry docks opposite
those ships. If they had destroyed our
dry docks, we would have had to tow
every one of those ships to America to
be repaired. As it is now, the ships are
in shallow water and can be raised.
One tug can pull them over to the dry
docks, and we can have them repaired
and at sea by the time we could have
towed them to America . And I already
have crews ashore anxious to man
those ships.

Mistake number three : every drop of
fuel in the Pacific theater of war is in
top of the ground storage tanks five
miles away over that hill. One attack
plane could have strafed those tanks
and destroyed our fuel supply. That’s
why I say the Japanese made three
of the biggest mistakes an attack
force could make or God was taking
care of America .

I’ve never forgotten what I read in that
little book. It is still an inspiration as I
reflect upon it. In jest, I might suggest
that because Admiral Nimitz was a
Texan, born and raised in Fredricksburg ,
Texas — he was a born optimist. But
anyway you look at it — Admiral Nimitz
was able to see a silver lining in a
situation and circumstance where
everyone else saw only despair and
defeatism.

President Roosevelt had chosen the
right man for the right job. We
desperately needed a leader that could
see silver linings in the midst of the
clouds of dejection, despair and defeat.

There is a reason that our national motto
is, IN GOD WE TRUST.

Love and light

Mary Grace
www.ThewoundedChalice.com
www.IAmMaryGrace.com
http://www.waleson5.com/ marygrace.html

PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977

PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977

WHO DO YOU REMEMBER ON MEMORY-AL DAY?

Posted on by

As I watching out my bow window at the lake and
its peacefulness, a boat with two men fishing went by
slowly cruising close to shore. The men were not
talking, just simply enjoying the comraderie and the
peace of the water while throwing out their lines. My
thought was just how rich they were in this very moment.
Another thought came and it was how rich I was also
and I could take this moment to go out in my kayak.

A man was coming to check out my subpump and
crawl space but that was about an hour and a half
away so after some hemming and hawing, I made
the decision to seize the moment and go out onto
the water. It was so fabulous. The water was like
glass and it was eery to be gliding through the images
of the houses in the water. The birds were singing
and it was just so gloriously peaceful. At my age,
it is about time that I become aware that I can do
what I want when I want. It is only habit that keeps
me from being spontaneous like a child. I wish to be
more childlike and enjoy every moment. Please join me.

The energy of the times is upon us. Of course, Spring
brings its own energy and we alternate between being
so busy getting our yard or garden in order so that we
can enjoy the summer and being so laid back enjoying
the warmth after a cold winter. There is also the energy
of what is happening as we prepare to meet the changes
that are coming as we move forward to 2012. The
eclipses (3 in a short amount of time) are generating
such energy in weather patterns which are causing
many mood swings in us humans.

I know I do not have dementia or alzheimer’s yet I
exhibit the symptoms. One day my mind is as clear
as a bell and I am so efficient and the next day I can’t
seem to keep it together. Things that I normally do by
rote I forget and forget any new things that I need to
do, my memory fails me and I repeat many steps just
to accomplish what I usually take for granted. For
instance, I go to my yoga class every week, yet this
week I had to make three extra trips from my car
to my locked house because I kept forgetting something.
Today, you won’t believe it, I went to the Post Office to
get my mail out of my PO Box, came home and realized
that I had left the keys which included my house keys
still in the box. Back I went to get them and they were
right I had left them, still hanging from the key that opens
the PO Box.

Is that happening to you? You are not going senile or crazy,
the energies surrounding us are really upsetting the apple cart.
Have you noticed how many simple situations have become
complicated? Things that normally go so smoothly that we
take it for granted. Here are a couple that I have experienced
just this past week.

This month I paid my mortgage which is with a different
bank than my checking account on May 2. On May 19th,
I received a notice from my bank that I had not paid my
mortgage which I KNEW I had.

It seems the bank for my mortgage had changed their address
over a year ago and the forwarding from the Post Office had
expired so it was not delivered. Worst of all, the check was in
limbo and not returned to my checking account so I could
reissue another payment. Because of the Patriot Act, one
bank cannot discuss with another bank my problems so a
conference call is needed????

It is May 27th and the issue is still not resolved although
I have repeatedly called both banks. I have already received
a bill for two months now although my mortgage bank said
they would waive the late penalty when it shows up on my
newest bill????? I KNOW it will eventually get squared
away and all will be well at least for this episode.

PS. While writing this newsletter to you, I was guided to
call my checking account bank to check it again. This
is unusual as I don’t like interrupting my flow to you
but the guidance was insistent. Guess what? I bet
you can guess. The money was redeposited in my
checking account so now I can pay last month’s
mortgage just in time to pay this month’s payment.
Thank you for the energy you were sending me
even before I sent any to you.

I hired a carpenter to make a new stoop or entryway to
the back of my house which happens to be in the front
which is close to the street. Since I am on a lake, the
house was reversed so the bow window looks out
onto the water. You probably remember how I
complained that my door was continually blocked
from opening because there was only a 2″ space
between the floor of my stoop and the storm door
causing me to have to shovel every hour or so when
it snowed.

This carpenter came to give me an estimate. His sister,
my therapist recommended him. I did not know this but
he is a licensed carpenter who works every Saturday for
a much lower fee than his normal one. He said it
is his way to give back to God for all that God
gives to him. Another angel is sent my way.

It was supposed to take him 4-6 hours and he came
last Saturday. He ran into problems as no concrete
had been placed under the posts which is why it was
leaning so badly. My house under the door was
rotting because so much moisture was settling there
as it was not level. He needed to find some flashing
to prevent any further deterioration and the store
was closed. He stayed 8 hours leaving only once it
was too dark to see.

He came back after work on Monday night but
still needed more time to finish, he was coming
back on Thursday night. He lowered the whole
stoop so the step up was much easier than before.
I was not happy with the one of the tops of the
banisters. It had ugly knots and it was much
darker with darker lines than the rest of the stoop.
I was trying not to be so picky but it was something
I would have to live with as my son convinced me not
to paint it. My deck is peeling so bad that I keep bringing
in flakes of paint every time I go out on the deck
and he did not want me to have to go through that
with the stoop. There was no way I could cover
the stark difference, what was I to do?

Thursday morning I woke after many bad dreams
about my stoop. I know this sounds silly and it
actually is kind of funny. Here I am in such a
quandary and it is 7:00AM. I finally went to
my neighbors house who does not live there
full time and checked out his railings to see if
maybe eventually the colors would even out.
My stomach is not happy as I am fighting with
myself about calling the carpenter. The words:
“Speak now or forever hold your peace” kept
running around in my head. I was scared to
appear so foolish as to let this little thing bother
me but I could not deny that it was.

I paced around for about 15 minutes and finally
decided to call him to see if he would replace
the top of the railing for me. I told him that I
know it truly is a “woman” thing but the fact
that one is light and the other dark knocked
me off balance. It just did not look right and
it spoiled all of his good work as all I could
see was the dark one. Does this happen to you?
Do you ever focus on the negative instead of the
positive? I felt like I was betraying my own
hard won wisdom and then another guidance
came in. It said: “Love yourself as I love you,
do unto yourself as you would do unto others”.

I realized that I was surrendering to something
that made me unhappy when it would be so
easy to honor myself by asking for what I
really wanted. I did not want to cause him
any more work or time away from his
family so I was willing to cause myself
unhappiness. All I had to do was to have
the courage to ask for what I wanted. Why
is it so hard to do? Why do we make ourselves
victims when it is not really necessary?

So……I took deep breaths and called him. He was
so considerate and said he would do whatever
I wanted and he was not even irritated with me.
I had to go to the lumber yard to refill the propane
tank so I offered to pick up the 2×4 so he would not
have to go out of his way to do that.

It was so easy, it was only my fear of asking that was
making it so difficult. It now looks so great and
balanced, all the wood is the same shade even
though I know it will weather to gray but at least
it will be evenly gray. Here had been another
opportunity given me to conquer a fear and
I am grateful for the courage it took. It really
was not about the wood but simply another
chance to grow in patience and courage and
LOVE.

This weekend is all about honoring those who
serve in the military. Where would we be without
them and who would we be. Let us take a moment
to honor their dedication, courage and self sacrifice
that we might be free.

I would like to honor all the ones who stay home
here in the USA and daily dedicate themselves
to serving others. The firemen, the policemen,
the doctors, the nurses, the whole medical
profession and ALL those who serve us in
myriad ways that perhaps we do not even notice.
Let us all become aware that even the cashiers
and those who do their daily jobs like the postmen,
landscapers, etc. are serving each and every one of us
in their own special way. I thank all of you for serving
me and for allowing me to serve you in some small way.

This 13 year old girl is wonderful, check it out!
‘Il Silencio’ (The Silence)

The conductor of the orchestra is Andre Rieu from Holland. The young lady, her trumpet and her rendition of TAPS.
Many of you may never have heard taps played in its entirety, for all of the men & women that have died for you to have the freedom you have in America. This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss and I guarantee you’ll never forget.

Melissa Venema, age 13, is the trumpet soloist.

Here is Taps played in its entirety. The Original version of Taps was called Last Post, and was written by Daniel Butterfield in 1801. It was rather lengthy and formal, as you will hear in this clip, so in 1862 it was shortened to 24 notes and re-named Taps. Melissa Venema is playing it on a trumpet whereby the original was played on a bugle.

Watch at this site.

http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet- solo-melissa-venema.htm

HAVE A HAPPY AND WONDERFUL MEMORY-AL DAY
This is the weekend that the lake becomes alive as most people
will launch their boats and may even put out their rafts and buoys.
Some children are already in the water. It is opening week-end.

Love and Light

Mary Grace

www.TheWoundedChalice.com
www.TheWoundedChalice.com/blog
[email protected]

PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977

THIS IS A HERO

Posted on by

Beloved,

I just received this from a dear friend and just HAD
to share it with you especially on this Memorial Day.
God Bless Our Human Spirit.

MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN:

He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, “We have an
H.R. on this flight.” (H.R. stands for human remains.) “Are they military?” I asked.

‘Yes’, she said.

‘Is there an escort?’ I asked.

‘Yes, I already assigned him a seat’.

‘Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early,” I said..

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He
was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.

‘My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,’ he said. He proceeded to
answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I
told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. ‘I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board’, she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia.

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do.. ‘I’m on it’, I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher.. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

‘Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.’

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, ‘You have no idea how much this will mean to them.’

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing.
After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

‘There is a team in place to meet the aircraft’, we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, ‘Take your time.’

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, ‘Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement.

We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.’

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our
shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly
started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of ‘God Bless You’, I’m sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the
sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA .

Foot note:
As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they were treated.

When I read things like this I am proud that our country has not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war zones today and give them the respect they so deserve.

I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have
tears in their eyes, including me.

Prayer chain for our Military… Don’t break it!

Please send this on after a short prayer.. Prayer for our soldiers Don’t break it!

Prayer:

‘Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen..’

Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world.

There is nothing attached. Just send this to people in your address book. Do not let it stop with you. Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm’s way, prayer is the very best one.

God Bless America

and… I feel we’re gonna need His Blessings!

GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Love and Light

Mary Grace
http://www.TheWoundedChalice.com
http://www.TheWoundedChalice.com/blog
[email protected]

3 Brows Beach Dr
PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977