Our Flag....

This story starts last Tuesday. While on our way to the monthly FRG meeting the kids and I just happened to hear the first notes of retreat. I know the kids have heard this before, since we are an Army family. Of course this is usually just an ordinary part of the day.....until the kids saw the flag detail lowering the flag as we drove past. (yes you can drive on Ft Carson during retreat) The fact that they were taking the colors away was greatly upsetting to them. They did not understand why they were taking it away. Today as we drove past on our way to the commissary, they all wanted to hear the music for the flag. Of course it is a little bit early, so I explain that we will have to wait for about fifteen minutes before it happens. If you have children you know 15 minutes is an eternity, especially in a vehicle. Today, though, they all sat and waited for retreat to sound. This made me think of my days as a Soldier. When I would check my watch to see if I could make it to my vehicle in time so I wouldn't have to pay my respects to the stars and stripes. and here say my children on a cold November day in awe of the small ceremony signifying the end of the day and respect given to our stars and stripes. As young as they are they are very curious and very intuitive. They could see the few Soldiers on the detail as well as a few that had been on their way somewhere, saluting as retreat was sounded. When retreat was over and we got ready to leave, my oldest says, "that was very beautiful, we should come and respect every day." All I could think was WOW!! Here is a 5 yr old child and she sees this symbol as more than just a flag. I imagine she sees this as a symbol that some day her Daddy will be home. If only more of us were as innocent as children. If only more of us could see the beauty in our history and our symbols of freedom.................

Beautiful things....

WOW another weekend has come and gone....It takes so long for them to get here and then they are gone in the blink of an eye.
This weekend was a wonderful weekend. Friday ended with a house full of groceries for Thanksgiving week and practice for a very beautiful wedding. Saturday dawned bright and sunny and only got better as the day progressed. I got to talk to a friend that always has something to say worth laughing at. Scary how much alike we are.....I wonder where my father was when she was born!! LOL hmmm or maybe I should wonder where her father was...........hahaha. I managed to get the kids dressed and fed by 5 pm. I was not ready to step out the door, but at 5:15 I was dolled up and ready to go! Off to a the wedding!! woohooo Love is a beautiful thing when it is shared in front of friends. Saturdays service was no exception. Pat and Sara made a beautiful couple and their love was very apparent as they exchanged their vows. A great big thank you to them for including all of us in their special day! After the ceremony we had munchies and danced holes in our shoes!! I brought three very happy and tired little people home!
Sunday was fun too. We started with cartoons and cereal, gotta love Phineas and Ferb!! LOL Then some cleaning and football....woohooo For dinner we had our great new friends over for steaks. Pat did an excellent job with the grill!!! The steaks tasted great! I need to get the marinade recipe from Sara.
This weekend has truly been a weekend of blessings. Got to talk to my hot sexy man!! Which is always good. He sounds like he is doing very well out there. Working hard but doing ok. I don't like that I only get to talk to him sporadically, but at least when I do he is in good spirits and doing well. We are down to 6 more months of being apart!! We can get through this! Just one day at a time....un dia la vez. The kids and I have met so many people that have become our extended family, not sure what we would do without all of you guys!!!! Looking forward to meeting new friends this week.......

The season of Thanks......

How often do we sit and realize just what we have in our lives? How often do we look beyond the material aspects of our life? As a person I know I don't often look past those things.......The last few weeks I have done quite a bit of soul searching to see what should I be thankful for....
Of course there are the best things in life...the health of my children, husband and extended family. I am thankful that I have a husband that loves me and accepts me for who I am. Beyond that...I am truly thankful to those that have given the ultimate sacrifice. I am thankful for those that gave themselves so that my children may have the chance of freedom. As a Soldier in my heart, since not in the flesh, it hurts my soul to hear of another brave soul lost to the enemy. To those that they leave behind.....know that you are not forgotten. Know that your loss is not in vain. Know that the principles they died to protect live on in those that believe in them....
To my fallen comrades in arms.....THANK YOU! It is to you that I dedicate this Thanksgiving to. It is because of you that I am able to live the life I live!

Let's call it what it is...................

I have been quiet about the mass shooting at Ft Hood. I have let my opinions sit and stew, but I just can't keep them bottled up anymore.
Were there mistakes on the Army's part, allowing Hasan to continue to serve? Yes. Were there mistakes in letting him counsel battle fatigued soldiers? Yes.
However, the bottom line is: There is no one to blame for the heinous crime Hasan committed, except Hasan. DO people really believe that he would have let his radical Islamic beliefs sit after being discharge from the Army. In my opinion, NO! He would have found a way to accomplish his mission of killing and maiming American Soldiers. This man did not target high ranking officials that sit in an office and plan what others will do. This coward planned to attack the Soldiers that would be going to fight his extremist beliefs. This was an attack he planned and carried out with the hopes of being hailed a hero by other extremist believers. While I do not understand the Muslim faith in its entirety, I do know that it claims to be a religion of peace and tolerance. Yet, every atrocity that has occurred at the hands of a Muslim extremist has been violent. Let's look back and see how peaceful these extremist really are:
1979
Nov. 4, Tehran, Iran: Iranian radical students seized the U.S. embassy, taking 66 hostages. 14 were later released. The remaining 52 were freed after 444 days on the day of President Reagan's inauguration.
1982–1991
Lebanon: Thirty US and other Western hostages kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days.
1983
April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. embassy destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 Americans. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shiite suicide bombers exploded truck near U.S. military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 marines. Minutes later a second bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut.
Dec. 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait: Shiite truck bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and other targets, killing 5 and injuring 80.
1984
Sept. 20, east Beirut, Lebanon: truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy annex, killing 24, including 2 U.S. military.
Dec. 3, Beirut, Lebanon: Kuwait Airways Flight 221, from Kuwait to Pakistan, hijacked and diverted to Tehran. 2 Americans killed.
1985
April 12, Madrid, Spain: Bombing at restaurant frequented by U.S. soldiers, killed 18 Spaniards and injured 82.
June 14, Beirut, Lebanon: TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome hijacked to Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists and held for 17 days. A U.S. Navy diver executed.
Oct. 7, Mediterranean Sea: gunmen attack Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. One U.S. tourist killed. Hijacking linked to Libya.
Dec. 18, Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria: airports in Rome and Vienna were bombed, killing 20 people, 5 of whom were Americans. Bombing linked to Libya.
1986
April 2, Athens, Greece:A bomb exploded aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens, killing 4 Americans and injuring 9.
April 5, West Berlin, Germany: Libyans bombed a disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, killing 2 and injuring hundreds.
1988
Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families.
1993
Feb. 26, New York City: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected.
1995
Nov. 13, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. military headquarters, killing 5 U.S. military servicemen.
1996
June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. 13 Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001.
1998
Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. 4 men connected with al-Qaeda 2 of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large.
2000
Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. 17 sailors killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network.
2001
Sept. 11, New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.: hijackers crashed 2 commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; 2 more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pa. Total dead and missing numbered 2,9921: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pa., and 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed. (See September 11, 2001: Timeline of Terrorism.)
2002
June 14, Karachi, Pakistan: bomb explodes outside American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12. Linked to al-Qaeda.
2003 1
May 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: suicide bombers kill 34, including 8 Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected.
2004
May 29–31, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists attack the offices of a Saudi oil company in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, take foreign oil workers hostage in a nearby residential compound, leaving 22 people dead including one American.
June 11–19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists kidnap and execute Paul Johnson Jr., an American, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2 other Americans and BBC cameraman killed by gun attacks.
Dec. 6, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: terrorists storm the U.S. consulate, killing 5 consulate employees. 4 terrorists were killed by Saudi security.
2005
Nov. 9, Amman, Jordan: suicide bombers hit 3 American hotels, Radisson, Grand Hyatt, and Days Inn, in Amman, Jordan, killing 57. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.
2006
Sept. 13, Damascus, Syria: an attack by four gunman on the American embassy is foiled.
2007
Jan. 12, Athens, Greece: the U.S. embassy is fired on by an anti-tank missile causing damage but no injuries.
Dec. 11, Algeria: more than 60 people are killed, including 11 United Nations staff members, when Al Qaeda terrorists detonate two car bombs near Algeria's Constitutional Council and the United Nations offices.
2008
May 26, Iraq: a suicide bomber on a motorcycle kills six U.S. soldiers and wounds 18 others in Tarmiya.
June 24, Iraq: a suicide bomber kills at least 20 people, including three U.S. Marines, at a meeting between sheiks and Americans in Karmah, a town west of Baghdad.
June 12, Afghanistan: four American servicemen are killed when a roadside bomb explodes near a U.S. military vehicle in Farah Province.
July 13, Afghanistan: nine U.S.soldiers and at least 15 NATO troops die when Taliban militants boldly attack an American base in Kunar Province, which borders Pakistan. It's the most deadly against U.S. troops in three years.
Aug. 18 and 19, Afghanistan: as many as 15 suicide bombers backed by about 30 militants attack a U.S. military base, Camp Salerno, in Bamiyan. Fighting between U.S. troops and members of the Taliban rages overnight. No U.S. troops are killed.
Sept. 16, Yemen: a car bomb and a rocket strike the U.S. embassy in Yemen as staff arrived to work, killing 16 people, including 4 civilians. At least 25 suspected al-Qaeda militants are arrested for the attack.
Nov. 26, India: in a series of attacks on several of Mumbai's landmarks and commercial hubs that are popular with Americans and other foreign tourists, including at least two five-star hotels, a hospital, a train station, and a cinema. About 300 people are wounded and nearly 190 people die, including at least 5 Americans.
2009
Feb. 9, Iraq:A suicide bomber kills four American soldiers and their Iraqi translator near a police checkpoint.
April 10, Iraq:A suicide attack kills five American soldiers and two Iraqi policemen.
Overwhelming isn't it?? 30!!!!! years of extremists proving over and over and over that they are violent and will do anything in their power to alter the way of life we have as Americans. They don't want our way of life, they want to destroy it. Why can we not see that? Why does it take an act of murder on an American military installation for us to see this? And why do we continue to point fingers at everyone except the perpetrator??? Not one person gave him the gun and told him to go kill innocents. Hasan decided on his own what his actions would be!!!!!! Therefore he should receive every consequence there is. And where in the world does Obama get off asking for an investigation of the events leading to this?? What needs to happen is a trial!!! Then an execution. (I could think of a few other things where Obama is concerned but for now let's focus on the matter at hand!)
I spent four years in the Army, not once did I ever harass an Major for his lifestyle choices. I highly doubt that this man was harassed to the point to no return. He chose to commit this selfish act and should pay with his life. He took 13 lives into his hand and ended them. He altered to many lives to count. He solidifies that those with extremist beliefs want to take American lives. It is time to wake up and call this act of violence what it is: an act of terrorism!!!!
May God be with the families of those killed and wounded in this senseless act of violence. Let there be justice and let's not let them have died in vain.

oh my!! Oh my!!!

So many things in my head..............where to start.....let's start with yesterday...........oh my oh my oh my. My thoughts and prayers go to all of the extended Army family in Texas. May God be with you during this trying time. No one knows the motive behind this spineless, selfish act. May God have mercy on his soul. To my friends that are still at Ft Hood......I am so happy you are safe.....To all those that will be sifting through the mess this individual has caused, may you have a steady heart and hand and may you figure out the whys so that families can have closure....and so we can ensure that this does not happen again.



When I heard of the acts of violence on Ft Hood, I was overwhelmed with apprehension. My first deployment family is out there. Soldiers and families that we bonded with and grew to admire and respect were directly in harm's way. It is one thing to know what your Soldier does...it is a whole different thing to imagine an entire BN in harm's way. At a place that is supposed to be a safe haven. It was very unnerving. Yet at the same time all I could think was....."Thank you for letting us leave there!!" There is no telling how different our lives would be right now, if we still lived in the Ft Hood area. RELIEF!!


So many emotions, it is hard to sort them out. How does something like this happen? Why does something like this happen? What gives someone the desire to kill innocent people? As I continue to read and see the coverage on this tragic event, my heart hurts. I see the partial list of victims and I see babies, young boys that had barely begun to live. Taken by a coward who was afraid to stand up and be a man. Then to hear that he was picked on and harassed. First of all he was a Major in the United States Army!! A damn Major....I don't know to many people that routinely pick on those above them. Second of all this individual was highly educated. This was not a kid off the street that was afraid of going to war. This was a grown man with an agenda, his own agenda. All I can say is we have a beautiful justice system, that I believe in whole heartily. He will have his day....and he will be dealt with accordingly.
To hear people defend him and claim that he had his own issues to deal with. That he was against the policies that the US has established, makes my blood boil. He did not commit this crime to save himself. He took these innocent lives, to protect radical Islam. This was an individual that targeted those that his religion condemned. I have no pity on him. I hope he gets what is coming to him. Whether in this life or the next.

I pray for all those that were in the midst of this tragedy. I pray they find peace. I pray they find the strength to go on. For those that have to clean up the mess this man made....may you find solace in the evidence you find. May you believe in the justice system. Believe in your selves that there will be closure for all of us affected.

It is time to end the blame game. There is no reason or any person to blame but the perpetrator of these acts!! It is time to hold individuals responsible for their behaviors. It is time to put those to death that kill for the joy of killing. It is time to use our justice system.